Objectives:

To carry out the inventory of the non-arboreal angiosperms of El Caraño forest, located in the Andean-Amazon piedmont of Colombia which includes the list of species, dispersion syndromes, threat category, endemism and corological novelties.

Scope:

To characterize the non-arboreal angiosperm of El Caraño as a territorial ordering tool.

Methodology:

Botanical samples were collected between June 2015 and May 2016, recording their growth habits, dispersion syndromes, threat categories, endemism, and corological novelties.

Main results:

A total of 319 taxa belonging to 165 genera and 68 families was recorded; eudicots represent 58% of the flora, while monocots and basal angiosperms group 35% and 7% respectively. Araceae presents the highest number of genera and species (6/31). Piper andakiensis and Philodendron edwinii are endemic; 49 species represent corological novelties for the Department of Caquetá and 19 for the Colombian Amazon. Additionally, three new species are described. Thirty taxa registered some threat category from which Orchidaceae recorded the highest number of endangered species (21 spp.). Zoocoria was presented as the dominant dispersion syndrome (72% of the species).

Conclusions:

The floristic diversity registered in El Caraño represents a transition between the Amazon and the Andes which is indicated not only by its composition, but also by the considerable number of registered taxa. The foregoing, added to the endemic species, the corological and taxonomic novelties contrasts with the few evaluated taxa that have some threat category and with the advanced deforestation of the area, promoting that the lack of knowledge of this resources derive in the loss of Colombian flora. This document is expected to support future programs of conservation and territorial planning based on the diversity of its flora and its endemism.

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