Abstract

OCAMPO, JOHN. Diversity and Distribution of Passifloraceae in the Department of Huila in Colombia. Acta biol.Colomb. [online]. 2013, vol.18, n.3, pp.511-516. ISSN 0120-548X.

Colombia is the country with the greatest Passifloraceae diversity with 170 reported species of both wild and cultivated forms. However, there are areas in the country where this wealth has slightly been explored such as the department of Huila in the South East of the Andes. For this reason, inventory lists were reviewed in order to update and establish the spatial distribution of the species in this region based on herbarium records, literature and field data, and propose conservation strategies. A total of 26 species belonging to the genus Passiflora L. are recorded in Huila between 1500 and 2500 masl. Eight species are cultivated and the others 18 that are wild are found mainly along roadsides and in secondary forests. The low number of species records in this department reflects the lack of research initiatives on floristic biodiversity. This suggests that this region may harbor many unknown species in little or unexplored areas. For this reason, conservation of these species and their habitat is an urgent task, as well as the characterization and evaluation of these genetic resources.

Keywords : Andes; conservation; fruits; Passiflora; plant genetic resources; vulnerability.

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