Guide to Pteridophytes of the Protective Forest and Vegetation Rumi Wilco, Vilcabamba, Loja, Ecuador

Abstract

Rumi Wilco attained the status of “Protector Woods and Vegetation” on July 14th, 2000. Despite its very small size – 40 hectares – and being surrounded by intervened private lands, the plant diversity found within is surprisingly high. This may be due, in large part, to its topography: bounded by the Chamba river to the West, the reserve has a variety of micro-habitats including flood plain, steep slopes, ridges and gullies. We here present a comprehensive photographic guide to the species of the Pteridophytas found within “Rumi Wilco” in Vilcabamba (1,450 to 1,700 masl), Loja province. According to “Sistema de Clasificación de los Ecosistemas del Ecuador Continental” (MAE-2013), the protected area corresponds to the ecosystem named “Semi-deciduous Woods and Shrubs of the Southern Valleys” and harbors a high percentage of the ancient culturally important Wilco trees (Anadenanthera colubrina) found in Ecuador.