Iconic plants of the Amazon

By Leanna Feder

Sep 10 2019

The Amazon Rain Forest, Earth’s largest tropical rain forest, is an immense biodiversity hotspot. An estimated ten percent of the known species on Earth occur in the Amazon region, and yet the area is still vastly understudied. This year the Amazon region has seen a significant increase in fires. In addition to the loss of biodiversity, the destruction of this vital ecosystem affects local and global climate.

NYBG has a long history of scientific work in the Amazon Basin, including 50 years of collaborating with South American colleagues and scientific institutions. The following collection of specimens represent some of the iconic species of the Amazon Rain Forest housed in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium.

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References:

New York Botanical Garden (n.d). Amazon. [Webpage]. Retrieved 3 September 2019, from https://www.nybg.org/plant-research-and-conservation/explore/amazon/

Silvério, Divino et. al. (August 2019). Amazon on Fire. Technical note from the Amazon Environmental Research Institute – IPAM. Retrieved 3 September 2019, from https://ipam.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/NT-Fogo-Amazo%CC%82nia-2019_English_v3-1.pdf

Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (n.d.) The Amazon Basin Forest [Webpage]. Retrieved 3 September 2019, from https://globalforestatlas.yale.edu/region/amazon