International ranking of botanical research and floristic knowledge by Ángel Manuel HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA Postal Box 86. E-08220 Terrassa (Spain)

SUMMARY: An international ranking of botanical research based on the relative index defined as herbarium specimens by 100 inhabitants is established. The most favoured countries (extant in 1990) are Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Denmark, French Guyana, Czechoslovakia and New Zealand. A second index defined as number of specimens divided by the surface in square kilometres is directly related to the floristic knowledge of the country. Countries (extant in 1990) with the highest indexes are: Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, Czechoslovakia, Federal Republic of Germany, German Democratic Republic, Jamaica and France. Some absolute indexes are also considered: the amount of herbarium specimens, the abundance of herbaria and the number of big herbaria. KEY WORDS: Botanical research, floristic knowledge, herbaria. RESUMEN: Se establece un escalafón internacional de investigación botánica basado en el índice relativo definido por el número de especímenes de herbario por cada 100 habitantes. Los países (existentes en 1990) más favorecidos son: Suiza, Suecia, Austria, Finlandia, Islandia, Noruega, Dinamarca, Guayana Francesa, Checoslovaquia y Nueva Zelanda. Un segundo índice definido por el número de especímenes dividido por la superficie en quilómetros cuadrados es directamente proporcional al conocimiento florístico del país. Los países (existentes en 1990) con los índices más altos son: Suiza, Holanda, Bélgica, Austria, Dinamarca, Checoslovaquia, República Federal de Alemania, República Democrática Alemana, Jamaica y Francia. También se consideran algunos índices absolutos: el total de especímenes de herbario, la abundancia de herbarios y el número de herbarios gigantes. PALABRAS CLAVE: Investigación botánica, conocimiento florístico, herbarios. Blancoana 14: 3-12 (1997). ISSN 0212-8314

SCOPE AND METHODS The conveniente of obtaining suitable indexes to make clear the status and progress of botanical research and floristic knowledge, led me to define some relative and absolute indexes (HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA, 1983). The publication of the eighth edition of Index herbariorum (HOLMGREN, HOL-

MGREN and BARNETT, 1990), allows to obtain up to date rankings of botanical research and floristic knowledge. Population and surface data used for the calculation of relative indexes have been

taken from 1991 Britannica book of the year (ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA, 1991). The population considered is the estimated one for 1990, but to calcule indexes of administrative entities of Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Soviet Union, Spain, United States and Yugoslavia, the data are of the last census. The area considered is the inland area. The geopolitical changes occurred since October 1990 are not directly contemplated, but can be easily deduced.

RANKING OF BOTANICAL RESEARCH In order to obtain an index of botanical research, I defined a relative index considering the number of herbarium specimens per 100 inhabitants (HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA, 1983).

3

Austria....................................................94.91

4

Finland ...................................................89.93

5

Iceland ....................................................89.45

6

Norway...................................................61.19

An orientative scale to qualify botanical research can be: more than 25= very good; between 10 and 25= good; between 5 and 10= acceptable; between 1 and 5= insufficient; less than 1= very deficient.

7

Denmark ................................................ 53.59

8

French Guiana...................................... 51.28

9

Czechoslovakia.................................... 48.83

10

New Zealand.........................................37.46

11

New Caledonia.....................................35.71

12

France .....................................................35.62

13

Great Britain ..........................................32.30

14

Belgium ..................................................32.18

15

Netherlands ........................................... 31.24

The international ranking that results from the application of this index is the following (states with less than 10,000 specimens or with an index inferior to 0.1 are excluded): 1

Switzerland .......................................... 157.36

16

Australia .................................................31.05

2

S weden.................................................144.33

17

German Democratic Republic ...........28.37

-4-

Blancoana 14 (1997)

18

Canada....................................................25.57

48

Honduras..................................................3.64

19

United States.........................................24.03

49

Fiji.............................................................3.38

20

Irel and.................................................... 23.40

50

Venezuela................................................3.18

21

Guam ...................................................... 23.13

51

Solomon Islands .....................................3.09

22

Singapore...............................................22.59

52

Malta.........................................................2.83

23

Jamaica...................................................19.20

53

Yugoslavia.............................................. 2.80

24

Hungary.................................................. 17.49

54

Mexico ..................................................... 2.57

25

Federal Republic of Germany............17.21

55

Cuba..........................................................2.52

26

Portugal...................................................15.82

56

Chile ..........................................................2.42

27

I tal y ..........................................................15.62

57

Panama .....................................................2.41

28

Israel ........................................................14.03

58

Ecuador .................................................... 2.39

29

Argentina................................................11.73

59

Malaysia ...................................................2.35

30

Poland.......................................................9.37

60

Lebanon....................................................2.29

31

Luxembourg............................................9.23

61

Kenya ....................................................... 2.21

32

Romania...................................................8.60

62

Brazil ........................................................ 2.12

33

Papua New Guinea ................................ 8.56

63

Peru............................................................1.97

34

South Africa ............................................ 8.04

64

Mauritius .................................................. 1.94

35

Spain......................................................... 7.14

65

Colombia..................................................1.93

36

Costa Rica ................................................6.91

66

Congo ........................................................1.73

37

Guyana.....................................................6.32

67

Taiwan......................................................1.69

38

Soviet Union............................................6.24

68

Senegal ......................................................1.62

39

Japan......................................................... 5.75

69

Sierra Leone ............................................ 1.56

40

Uruguay....................................................5.70

70

Ciskei ........................................................ 1.54

41

Suriname.................................................. 5.11

71

Dominican Republic ..............................1.39

42

Mongolia ..................................................4.73

72

Algeria ...................................................... 1.38

43

Bulgaria ....................................................4.39

73

Gabon ........................................................1.28

44

Namibia ....................................................4.22

74

South Korea.............................................1.08

45

Greece .......................................................4.20

75

Zambia ...................................................... 1.02

46

Zimbabwe ................................................ 3.99

76

Egypt ........................................................ 0.99

47

Trinidad and Tobago ............................. 3.65

77

Paraguay .................................................. 0.99

International ranking of botanical reseach

-5-

Pakistan..............................................0.40

78

Botswana............................................0.97

108

79

Kuwait ................................................0.93

109 Vietnam ..............................................0.33

80

Indonesia ............................................0.92

110 Cóte d' Ivoire ......................................0.32

81

Lesotho ...............................................0.91

111

82

Nepal .................................................. 0.90

112 Thailand............................................. 0.28

83

China .................................................. 0.89

113

84

Iraq.....................................................0.88

114 Nigeria............................................... 0.15

85

Turkey ................................................0.86

115

Ethiopia..............................................0.14

86

Libya ..................................................0.83

116

Somalia.............................................. 0.13

87

Malawi ................................................0.79

117

Sudan..................................................0.11

88

Iran.....................................................0.78

89

Sri Lanka ............................................0.77

90

Angola................................................0.70

91

Madagascar ........................................0.67

92

Ghana.................................................0.61

93

Bolivia................................................0.60

94

Hong Kong.........................................0.59

95

Mozambique...................................... 0.55

96

El Salvador .........................................0.53

97

Cameroon...........................................0.52

98

Zaire ................................................... 0.51

99

Guatemala .......................................... 0.49

100

Morocco.............................................0.48

101

Philippines ..........................................0.46

102 Saudi Arabia ...................................... 0.46 103

Tanzania .............................................0.46

104 Nicaragua ...........................................0.45 105

Togo ................................................... 0.43

106 India ................................................... 0.42 107 - 6-

Uganda............................................... 0.42

Burundi .............................................. 0.29

Puerto Rico ........................................ 0.26

For each federate republic of Czechoslovakia (now independent states), the results are: Czech Republic (65.16) and Slovakia (16.95). For each part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the results are: Scotland (45.03), England (32.92), Wales (17.68) and Northern Ireland (5.70). For the autonomous communities of Spain, the results are: Madrid Community (16.83), Aragon (16.71), Catalonia (14.58), Castile-León (6.14), Basque Country (5.47), Canary Islands (5.39), Andalusia (5.25), Murcia (3.82), Navarre (3.39), Valencia (2.27), Asturias (1.95), Galicia (1.70) and Extremadura (0.91). For each republic of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (now independent states), the results are: Estonia (3.5.40), Georgia (23.83), Latvia (12.57), Armenia (12.11), Azerbaijan (8.53), Lithuania (7.61), Russia (6.92), Kirghizstan (5.83), Uzbekistan (5.25), Moldavia (5.07), Ukrai-

Blancoana 14 (1997)

ne (4.29), Turkmenistan (3.84), Tadzhikstan (2.84), Belorussia (1.86) and Kazakhstan (1.84). For each federate state of the United States of America, the results are: Wyoming (144.74), Massachusetts (87.53), Missouri (80.42), Vermont (65.20), Hawaii (53.27), Utah (43.18), North Dakota (40.59), New York (39.90), Wisconsin (34.55), Illinois (33.78), Kansas (30.69), Montana ((26.81), Alaska (26.78), Idaho (26.07), Michigan (25.57), Iowa (24.72), Maryland (23.93), North Carolina (22.82), Minnesota (21.97), Louisiana (21.96), Pennsylvania (21.93), Washington (20.51), New Hampshire (20.44), Nebraska (20.17), California (20.07), Colorado (19.47), Adzona (17.73), Delaware (15.8.5), Tennessee (15.51), Oklahoma (15.47), West Virginia (14.58), Oregon (14.49), Indiana (12.86), Mississippi (12.86), Connecticut (12.80), Texas (12.71), Nevada (11.84), Rhode Island (11.73), South Dakota (11.43), Ohio (11.42), New Mexico (10.14), Florida (7.98), Arkansas (7.78), Virginia (7.77), Maine (7.14), Kentucky (4.83), Georgia (4.79), South Carolina (4.34), Alabama (4.11) and New Jersey (1.70). The result of the District of Columbia 815.78) must be underlined for its condition of administrative capital.

For the federate republics of Yugoslavia (now independent or disrupted countries), the results are: Slovenia (8.47), Croatia (6.04), Bosnia-Hercegovina (2.46) and Serbia (1.88). Comparing the precedent data with indexes obtained before (HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA, 1983), we realise the advance of botanical research in the following countries (in alphabetical order and considering only indexes superior to 5): Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Federal Republic of Germany, Finland, French Guiana, German Democratic Republic, Great Britain, Guam, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Soviet Union, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay. In contrast, other countries have diminished their indexes. The list of states that go backwards in botanical research are the following (in alphabetical order and considering only indexes superior to 5): Argentina, Australia, France, Ireland, Israel, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, South Africa and United States.

RANKING OF FLORISTIC KNOWLEDGE The relative índex that I defined as number of herbarium specimens of a country or territory divided by its surface (HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA, 1983) is directly

related to the floristic knowledge of that country (regardless of the abundance of foreign plants, because only those countries with a well known flora can undertake the

International ranking of botanical reseach

- 7-

exploration of other territories). For this reason this index is also an indicator of botanical research conditions.

16

Japan ........................................................18.83

17

Portugal ...................................................17.79

18

Finland....................................................14.69

An appreciative scale can be the following: more than 10 = well floristically known and with good botanical research conditions; between 1 and 10 = partially floristically known or with inadequate botanical research conditions; less than 1 = poorly floristically known and with inadequate botanical research conditions.

19

Puerto Rico ............................................ 13.84

20

Luxembourg.......................................... 13.53

21

Ireland.....................................................11.92

22

Poland .....................................................11.41

23

Mauritius................................................ 10.29

24

Taiwan......................................................9.49

25

Trinidad and Tobago .............................8.77

26

Romania ...................................................8.43

27

Norway.....................................................8.02

28

Lebanon....................................................6.65

29

United States........................................... 6.34

30

Spain.........................................................5.61

Countries with an index inferior to 0.1 are omitted. Also, Singapore (987.14), Guam (57.30), Hong Kong (32.30) and Malta (31.65), by their small area (inferior or slightly superior to 1,000 square kilometres) are not included in the following international ranking: 1

Switzerland......................................... 257.46

31

New Zealand ...........................................4.69

2

Netherlands .........................................137.45

32

South Korea .............................................4.66

3

Belgium................................................105.00

33

Costa Rica ................................................4.07

4

Austria....................................................86.28

34

Bulgaria ....................................................3.56

5

Great Britain......................................... 75.94

35

Greece .......................................................3.20

6

Denmark................................................ 63.92

36

New Caledonia....................................... 3.20

7

Czechoslovakia.................................... 59.80

37

Yugoslavia............................................... 2.61

8

Federal Republic of Germany ...........43.36

38

Cuba..........................................................2.41

9

German Democratic Republic ...........43.03

39

Iceland......................................................2.23

10

Jamaica .................................................. 41.76

40

South Africa ............................................2.21

11

France.....................................................37.09

41

Dominican Republic ..............................2.06

12

Israel.......................................................31.62

42

Sri Lanka..................................................2.01

13

S weden...................................................29.96

43

Ciskei.........................................................1.68

14

Italy.........................................................29.83

44

Honduras.................................................. 1.52

15

Hungary..................................................19.62

4.5

Argentina..................................................1.38

-8 -

Blancoana 14 (1997)

46

Fiji.......................................................1.37

76

Egypt................................................. 0.53

47

El Salvador.........................................1.31

77

Lesotho .............................................. 0.53

48

Malaysia ............................................. 1.27

78

Chile .................................................. 0.42

49

Nepal...................................................1.16

79

Guatemala..........................................0.41

50

India....................................................1.13

80

Ghana.................................................0.38

51

Kuwait................................................ 1.12

81

Brazil ................................................. 0.37

52

Mexico ................................................1.08

82

Iraq.....................................................0.36

53

China .................................................. 1.05

83

Uganda...............................................0.36

54

Solomon Islands ................................. 1.02

84

Peru....................................................0.34

55

Uruguay ............................................. 0.98

85

Thailand............................................. 0.31

56

Ecuador.............................................. 0.96

86

Togo ...................................................0.28

57

Kenya ................................................. 0.96

87

Iran.....................................................0.27

58

Zimbabwe ..........................................0.96

88

Morocco .............................................0.26

59

Philippines..........................................0.94

89

Guyana ...............................................0.22

60

Sierra Leone.......................................0.90

90

Nigeria ...............................................0.19

61

Indonesia ............................................0.85

91

Venezuela .......................................... 0.19

62

Soviet Union ......................................0.81

92

Algeria ...............................................0.15

63

Panama...............................................0.77

93

Nicaragua ...........................................0.15

64

Malawi............................................... 0.74

94

Madagascar ........................................0.14

65

Australia .............................................0.69

95

Cameroon ...........................................0.13

66

French Guiana....................................0.69

96

Suriname ............................................0.13

67

Canada............................................... 0.68

97

Congo................................................ 0.12

68

Papua New Guinea ............................ 0.68

98

C6te d' Ivoire ......................................0.12

69

Vietnam..............................................0.67

99

Mozambique...................................... 0.11

70

Turkey ................................................ 0.63

100 Zambia...............................................0.11

71

Burundi .............................................. 0.62

101

72

Pakistan .............................................. 0.62

73

Senegal ............................................... 0.60

74

Colombia............................................0.56

75

Bangladesh......................................... 0.55

Paraguay............................................ 0.10

For each federate republic of Czechoslovakia (since 1992 independent states), the results are: Czech Republic (85.61) and Slovakia (18.28).

International ranking of botanical reseach

-9-

For each part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the results are: England (11.96), Scotland (29.12), Wales (24.32) and Northern Ireland (6.37). For the autonomous communities of Spain, the results are: Madrid Community (104.50), Catalonia (27.97), Basque Country (16.25), Canary Islands (11.60), Andalusia (4.22), Aragon (4.20), Valencia (3.78), Murcia (3.53), Asturias (2.08), Navarre (1.71), Galicia (1.68), Castile-León (1.31) and Extremadura (0.24). For each republic of the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics (since 1991 independent states), the results are: Georgia (18.61), Armenia (13.36), Estonia (12.35), Azerbaijan (6.93), Moldavia (6.53), Latvia (5.22), Ukraine (3.67), Lithuania (3.13), Uzbekistan (2.34), Kirghizstan (1.26), Tadzhikstan (1.01), Belorussia (0.92), Russia (0.60), Turkmenistan (0.28) and Kazakhstan (0.11). For each federate state of the United States of America, the results are: Massachusetts (245.96), New York (52.72), Maryland (42.38), Rhode Island (37.59), Hawaii (3.5.45), Connecticut (32.47), Illinois (25.84), Missouri (22.89), Pennsylvania (21.93), Delaware (20.02), Vermont (14.79), California (14.57), North Carolina (11.14), Ohio (10.72), Wisconsin (9.88), Michigan (9.49), New Hampshire (9.47),

Indiana (7.59), Louisiana (7.53), Tennessee (6.96), Florida (6.83), New Jersey (6.55), Washington (5.68), Iowa (5.23), Virginia (4.57), Minnesota (4.30), West Virginia (4.18), Kansas (3.58), Utah (3.39), Texas (3.14), Oklahoma (2.70), Mississippi (2.69), Wyoming (2.61), Colorado (2.39), Arizona (2.21), Georgia (2.04), South Carolina (1.89), Kentucky (1.71), Oregon (1.64), Nebraska (1.60), North Dakota (1.42), Arkansas (1.33), Alabama (1.25), Idaho (1.22), Maine (1.02), Montana (0.57), Nevada (0.50), New Mexico (0.49), South Dakota (0.40) and Alaska (0.10). The result of the district of Columbia (27,796.09) is not considered in reason to its small area and urban condition. For the federate republics of Yugoslavia (now independent or disrupted countries), the results are: Slovenia (8.15), Croatia (5.01), Bosnia-Hercegovina (2.15) and Serbia (1.04). Comparing these indexes with those obtained before (HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA, 1983), we realise the great advances (more than 5 units in the index) made by the foIlowing countries (in descending order): Netherlands, Jamaica, Switzerland, Austria, Czechoslovakia, German Democratic Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Puerto Rico, Italy, Belgium, Sweden and Denmark.

OTHER INDICATORS The absolute indicators of botanical research and floristic knowledge are not so -

10 -

good as the relatives ones because they favour the greatest states. Nevertheless, they

Blancoana 14 (1997)

are also useful and three of them will be

25

Norway ...................................(2,598,000)

considered here.

26

South Africa ...........................(2,477,148)

The first is the amount of reported her-

27

Mexico ................................... (2,107,543)

barium specimens. The states with a number of sheets superior to 1,000,000 are the

28

Romania .................................(2,001,443)

foliowing:

29

Hungary................................. (1,825,424)

30

Indonesia ................................ (1,663,500)

31

Portugal .................................. (1,61 _5,600)

32

New Zealand .......................... (1,269,487)

1

United States ........................ (60,421,964)

2

France ................................... (20,178,300)

3

Great Britain ......................... (18,536,768)

4

Soviet Union .........................(18,097,878)

The second absolute index to be consi-

5

Sweden ................................. (12,310,000)

dered here is the abundance of herbaria with a minimum stock of 10,000 speci-

6

Fed. Rep. of Germany .......... (10,780,000)

mens. The results are as follows:

7

Switzerland ...........................(10,631,500)

8

China.................................... (10,042,383)

9

Italy .........................................(8,985,962)

10

Czechoslovakia ...................... (7,648,227)

11

Austria .................................... (7,235,260)

12

Japan ....................................... (7,1 15,036)

13

Canada....................................(6,806,570)

14

Australia................................. (5,300,600)

15

Netherlands.............................(4,664,669)

16

German Dem. Rep..................(4,661,800)

17

Finland....................................(4,476,935)

18

Argentina................................(3,855,554)

19

India........................................(3,585,628)

20

Poland .....................................(3,566,921)

21

Belgium .................................. (3,204,518)

22

Brazil ...................................... (3,186,539)

23

Spain....................................... (2,830,292)

24

Denmark ................................. (2,753,812)

1

United States.................................... (351)

2

Soviet Union.......................................(73)

3

China..................................................(64)

4

Great Britain.......................................(58)

5

Canada................................................(57)

6

Brazil ..................................................(44)

7

Italy.................................................... (38)

8

Spain...................................................(37)

9

Czechoslovakia.................................. (36)

10

Japan...................................................(36)

11

Federal Republic of Germany ............ (34)

12

India................................................... (31)

13

France.................................................(30)

14

Australia.............................................(30)

15

Mexico ............................................... (27)

16

Poland .................................................(21)

17

South Africa.......................................(20)

International ranking of botanical reseach

-11-

18

Argentina ............................................(19)

5

Sweden (4: S, UPS, LD, GB)

19

Finland ................................................(15)

6

Switzerland (3: G, ZT, Z)

20

Austria ................................................(14)

7

21

Switzerland.........................................(12)

Federal Republic of Germany (3: B, M, HBG)

22

Romania............................................. (11)

8

Japan (3: TI, TNS, KYO)

23

New Zealand ...................................... (11)

9

Austria (2: W, WU)

24

German Democratic Republic ............(10)

10

Italy (2: FI, RO)

25

Belgium.............................................. (10)

11

Czechoslovakia (2: PR, PRC)

16

Portugal.............................................. (10)

12

Australia (2: MEL, NSW)

27

Colombia............................................ (10)

13

German Democratic Republic (1: JE)

14

Netherlands (1: L)

15

Finland (1: H)

16

Denmark (1: C)

17

Belgium (1: BR)

18

China (1: PE)

19

Hungary (1: BP)

20

Indonesia (1: BO)

21

India (1: CAL)

22

Norway (1: 0)

A third good absolute indicator is the number of big herbaria (with at least 1,000,000 specimens). The states with this sort of herbaria are: 1

United States (12: NY, US, MO, F, GH, UC, MICH, CAS, PH, FH, A, TEX)

2

France (4: P, MPU, LY, PC)

3

Great Britain (4: K, BM, E, MANCH)

4

Soviet Union (4: LE, KW, TASH, TBI)

BIBLIOGRAPHY ENCYCLOPAEDIA BRITANNICA (1991). 1991 Britannica book of the year. Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. Chicago. HERNÁNDEZ CARDONA, A. M. (1983) The herbaria as indicators of botanical research. Collect. Bot. (Barcelona) 14: 285-290.

-

12 -

HOLMGREN, P. K., HOLMGREN, N. H. and BARNETT, L. S. (1990) Index herbariorum. Part I: The herbaria of the world. International Association for Plant Taxonomy and New York Botanical Garden, New York.

Blancoana 14 (1997)