Respiratory tract infections continue to be a major health challenge worldwide especially due to the increasingly fast development of resistance to the drugs currently in use. Many plant species are traditionally used for respiratory illness treatment, and some have been investigated for their efficacy with positive results. A total of 91 plant species belonging to 82 genera and 48 families were documented and identified as respiratory system herbal remedies in Northern Peru. Most species used were Asteraceae (15 species, 16.67%), followed by Lamiaceae and Fabaceae (8.89% and 5.56%). The majority of respiratory disorder herbal preparations were prepared from the leaves of plants (27.69%), while the whole plant (18.46%), flowers (13.85%) and stems (17.69%) were used less frequently. In almost 55% of the cases fresh plant material was used to prepare remedies. About 86% of the remedies wer...

Few floristic inventories and even less syntaxonomical vegetation descriptions of tropical mountain forests exist. The author presents a syntaxonomical treatment of the vegetation of Reserva Biológica of San Francisco at the northern limit of Podocarpus National Park, Ecuador, together with notes on the corresponding soil types. The Lower Montane Forest (1800-2150 m), grouped in the new order Alzateetalia verticillatae, has a very diverse tree layer 20-35 m tall, and are a typical mosaic-climax. It grows on Terric Haplosaprists and Aquic Dystrupepts, developed from old landslide material and extends up to elevations of 2300 m at the bottom of wind-protected riverine valleys. At altitudes from 2100-2650 m (–2750 m), the forest structure and floristic composition change completely. The vegetation types belonging to this Upper Montane Forest form the newly described Purdiaeaetalia nutant...

A new Peruvian species of Blakea(Melastomataceae) is described. Blakea nareliana is a small tree, endemic to the cloud forest zone in the northern Andean Huallaga area of Peru. This region is highly diverse and under-collected due to difficult access. Currently the new species is only known from one population at the type locality. However, extensive collections in the wider region have led to the discovery of many previously unknown populations of other rare Melastomataceae. It is to be hoped that future collecting efforts in the region will yield more material of Blakea nareliana.

Respiratory tract infections continue to be a major health challenge worldwide especially due to the increasingly fast development of resistance to the drugs currently in use. Many plant species are traditionally used for respiratory illness treatment, and some have been investigated for their efficacy with positive results. A total of 91 plant species belonging to 82 genera and 48 families were documented and identified as respiratory system herbal remedies in Northern Peru. Most species used were Asteraceae (15 species, 16.67%), followed by Lamiaceae and Fabaceae (8.89% and 5.56%). The majority of respiratory disorder herbal preparations were prepared from the leaves of plants (27.69%), while the whole plant (18.46%), flowers (13.85%) and stems (17.69%) were used less frequently. In almost 55% of the cases fresh plant material was used to prepare remedies. About 86% of the remedies wer...

Few floristic inventories and even less syntaxonomical vegetation descriptions of tropical mountain forests exist. The author presents a syntaxonomical treatment of the vegetation of Reserva Biológica of San Francisco at the northern limit of Podocarpus National Park, Ecuador, together with notes on the corresponding soil types. The Lower Montane Forest (1800-2150 m), grouped in the new order Alzateetalia verticillatae, has a very diverse tree layer 20-35 m tall, and are a typical mosaic-climax. It grows on Terric Haplosaprists and Aquic Dystrupepts, developed from old landslide material and extends up to elevations of 2300 m at the bottom of wind-protected riverine valleys. At altitudes from 2100-2650 m (–2750 m), the forest structure and floristic composition change completely. The vegetation types belonging to this Upper Montane Forest form the newly described Purdiaeaetalia nutant...

A new Peruvian species of Blakea(Melastomataceae) is described. Blakea nareliana is a small tree, endemic to the cloud forest zone in the northern Andean Huallaga area of Peru. This region is highly diverse and under-collected due to difficult access. Currently the new species is only known from one population at the type locality. However, extensive collections in the wider region have led to the discovery of many previously unknown populations of other rare Melastomataceae. It is to be hoped that future collecting efforts in the region will yield more material of Blakea nareliana.