The vascular flora of the Greater Antilles contains perhaps 10,000 species, a rich resource for fundamental ecological and systematic studies as well as for the immediate demands of biotechnology, conservation and environmental biology. However, only a single, severely dated reference exists that covers the entire region. The Flora of the Greater Antilles project has been initiated by the New York Botanical Garden and the Smithsonian Institution. Its goal is to produce a complete monographic flora of vascular plants, cryptogams and fungi. This multivolume product will be published in the Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden. The Orchidaceae has been targeted for early treatment in the Flora series. The family represents a large portion of the vascular flora of the Greater Antilles, 6-7%, and is represented by at least 660 species native or naturalized to the region. The objectives of this project are to (1) initiate an intensive collecting program, particularly in areas that are poorly known, in areas of high endemism, and of difficult and underrepresented groups; (2) vis it herbaria and libraries with important historical collections; (3) prepare an illustrated monographic treatment of the family for Flora of the Grater Antilles (Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden); and (4) establish an electronically available database of information on which the treatment will be based. All of approximately 109 genera will be covered in a single volume. The final product will serve to clarify and stabilize taxonomy of the region, and will be a standard reference for those conducting future floristic, taxonomic, ecological and evolutionary studies. The specimen database produced will offer greater detail than can be provided by the printed flora. Both products will serve as a guide for land use planners and conservation biologists faced with critical decisions in areas where social and political pressures for habitat exploitation are severe.
