The Vascular Flora of La Selva

该项目概述了完成La Selva生物站维管植物清单的计划，该生物站是世界上最好的热带野外观测站之一。1979年开始时，该站的面积还不到目前3800英亩（=1510公顷）的一半，大部分是低地热带雨林。当时估计，La Selva将产生大约1800种维管植物的植物群，这个数字正在迅速接近。目前有近1700个物种被列入清单，另有大约80个物种正处于不同的研究阶段。其中大多数都需要额外的材料来完成鉴定。也许有12个是新物种，加入了La Selva收藏中已经描述的60多个物种。尽管最大的努力和时间将花费在描述准备和比较研究上，但似乎有必要继续收集，因为1)大部分收集是在La Selva面积不到现在一半的时候进行的，特别是2)土地收购不仅增加了12%的面积，而且增加了一个独特的未被采集的森林山脊。一项非常初步的调查表明，这些地区有许多在La Selva未知的物种。由于La Selva是正在迅速转变为牧场的广大加勒比海低地雨林的代表，该植物区系将：1)对了解中美洲植物区系具有重大影响；2)每年利用La Selva生物站进行现场进化和生态研究的众多研究人员急需的工具。

The project outlines plans to complete the inventory of the vascular plants of La Selva Biological Station, one of the world's finest tropical field stations. When initiated in 1979, the Station was less than half its current 3800 acres (=1510 ha) of largely lowland tropical rainforest. It was then estimated that La Selva would yield a flora of approximately 1800 species of vascular plants and that number is being rapidly approached. Nearly 1700 species are on current checklist and approximately 80 additional species are in various stages of study. Most of these require additional material to complete their identification. Perhaps a dozen are new species joining the more than 60 already described from La Selva collections. Although the greatest effort and time will be expended on description preparation and comparative study, it seems imperative to continue collecting because 1) the majority of the collecting was made when La Selva had less than half its present area and especially 2) land acquisition has increased the area not only by 12% but added a unique and uncollected forested ridge. A very preliminary survey indicated that these areas bear a number of species otherwise unknown at La Selva. Because La Selva is representative of the vast Caribbean lowland rainforest which is rapidly being converted to pasture, the flora will: 1) have a major impact on understanding Meso- american floristics, and 2) serve as much-needed tool for the on- site evolutionary and ecological research by the numerous investigators utilizing the La Selva Biological Station each year.