Catalogue of the vascular epiphytic flora of Uruguay

Abstract

We provide an updated list of the vascular epiphytic flora occurring in native environments of Uruguay based on literature review, herbarium specimens, and fieldwork throughout the country. The catalogue provides standardized information for each species, including accepted name, synonyms used within Uruguay, epiphytic category, distribution within the country, habitat, conservation status, observations, and a voucher citation. The effort documented 73 species for the epiphytic flora of Uruguay (3% of the flora), distributed among 29 genera and 12 families. Bromeliaceae was the richest family (17), followed by Polypodiaceae (16) and Orchidaceae (12). Tillandsia stood out as the most speciose genus with 15 species. Characteristic holoepiphytes was the most diverse ecological category. More than half of the epiphytic species documented for Uruguay (53 %) reach their southernmost geographic distribution in the country, whereas only two mostly epipetric species of Tillandsia — T. arequitae and T. uruguayensis — are endemic to the country. Almost half of the epiphytic species found are presently under categories of threat of extinction, with 60% of them occurring in national protected areas. Both the richest epiphytic families and the predominance of characteristic holoepiphytes coincide with findings from floristic and ecological studies previously carried out in humid subtropical regions.