The patrimonial flora of Quito discovered by the expedition of Humboldt and Bonpland in 1802

The results from this research are based on historical data and data from herbarium collections prepared by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland in 1802 in the city of Quito and its surroundings. In the research, 142 species from the Humboldt and Bonpland’s collections have been selected because of their patrimonial value for the city’s inhabitants; those species were collected for the first time in this area and the plant collections include type-specimens used to describe the species. Twenty-five species are endemic to Ecuador and from those, Cynanchum serpyllifolium (Asclepiadaceae) has not been found for more than 100 years, while Aetheolaena ledifolia (Asteraceae) and Cyperus multifolius (Cyperaceae) are only known from their type-collections made in 1802. Almost 80 per cent of the collected species were herbs, which showed the advanced human intervention at the time. These premises help to propose a plan that manages patrimonial plant concepts in Quito and its surrounding towns and to increase the appropriation and valorization processes.