Richness and endemism of the vascular flora of Guanajuato, Mexico

Floristic databases are key tools to enrich the knowledge about the plant diversity of a region. Considering the information they provide, a review of the endemic plants of the state of Guanajuato, as well as their state characteristics was carried out within grid cells of 1 degrees x 1 degrees of latitude and longitude. The objective was to evaluate richness patterns and floristic similarities among grid cells. The records of the species presence reported in the literature were analyzed together with the information from databases in the National Information System on Biodiversity (SNIB) of the National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity (CONABIO) and the scientific collections of the Institute of Biology, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). From 29,897 unique records, 3,065 species of vascular plants were recognized for the state, distributed in 997 genera, 187 families, and 54 orders. Of these, 1,174 species are endemic to Mexico and 356 are considered characteristic of the state. Two main floristic groups (phytochoria) were determined for the state. Evidence is shown to support the argument that knowledge about the richness and endemism of a region or state is essential to propose regionalizations and strategies for its flora conservation.