The Flora of Colombia is characterized by a high biodiversity, with the highest rate of species by area unit worldwide. Over 130.000 species of plants have been described within Colombian territory[1].
The national flower of Colombia is the orchidCattleya trianae which was named after the Colombian naturalist José Jerónimo Triana. The orchid was selected by botanist Emilio Robledo, in representation of the Colombian Academy of History to determine the most representative flowering plant of Colombia. He described it as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world and selected Cattleya trianae as National symbol
The national tree of Colombia is the palmCeroxylon quindiuense (Quindio Wax Palm) which was named after the Colombian Department of Quindio where is located the Cocora valley, only habitat of this restricted range specie. The Wax palm was selected as the national tree by the government of Belisario Betancur and was the first tree officially declared as protected specie in Colombia. C. quindiuense is the only palm that grows at high altitudes and is the tallest monocot in the world.
Endemisms
Colombia has the largest amount of heliconia species worldwide. Most of them are endemisms
The Baudó Mountains in the Colombian pacific coast have many endemic plants.
Colombia has the largest amount of endemisms (species that are not found naturally anywhere else) worldwide. About 10% of the species in the world live in Colombia.[2] Some determinant factors In the distribution range of the species are the weather conditions, temperature, humidity and sunlight availability.
Endemics can easily become endangered or extinct due to their restricted habitat and vulnerability to the actions of man, including the introduction of new organisms.
Ecoregions with high endemism
According to the Colombian Ministry of Environment, the following ecoregions have the highest percentage of botanicendemisms:
Many of the Colombian trees are endangered species due to the high quality of the woods and timber industry exploitation (such as Colombian oakQuercus humboldtidiana and Colombian mahogany) and as source of tanning substances for the leather industry (such as mangrove and Encenillo tree Weinmannia tormentosa). Some tree species described in Colombia are:
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