Mosses form a conspicuous element in many tropical ecosystems, yet they remain little known to those residing in tropical countries and little known even to those conducting research on mosses. Dr. Steven Churchill of the New York Botanical Garden has embarked on the first complete moss inventory of a South American country, Colombia, to produce an illustrated and descriptive account of the estimated 900 species of mosses of this rich, mountainous country. The project involves cooperative activities with Colombian institutions; Dr. Churchill will lecture on his moss researches, will help build reference collections for museums, and will work with staff and students to promote better understanding and research possbilities for this group of plants. The first phase will include intensive field collecting in half of the 32 departments of Colombia, to augment existing herbarium collections in the U.S., Colombia, and elsewhere. The area for collection will inlude the western half of Colombia from the coastal Pacific and Atlantic departments which contain both wet and dry tropical vegetation, and extending to central montane regions. Concurrent with this phase will be the preparation of descriptions and illustrations for half of the expected species. Also to be accomplished are preparation of a checklist of scientific names of Colombian mosses and a catalogue of herbarium specimens of Colombian taxa, compiled in a computer database at the New York Botanical Garden.
