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Welcome to the Homepage of the Madagascar Catalogue
        
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The Vahinala Project aims to assimilate information on all native and naturalized plant species in Madagascar, evaluating the available taxonomic literature and specimen base for each taxon. The primary result of the project is the Catalogue of the Plants of Madagascar, an online database. The Missouri Botanical Garden leads the Project in collaboration with numerous institutional and individual partners. We completed a synonymized list of accepted species in 2008 and in 2012 we have completed the taxonomic evaluation of the majority of all genera and compiled distributional, ecological, and conservation status information for most well-circumscribed accepted species (View Project Milestones). In 2017 we added a preliminary checklist of bryophyte species, and changed the name of the website from the Catalogue of Vascular Plants of Madagascar to its current name.
Data in the Catalogue as of Jan. 2024 indicate that a total of 249 vascular plant families are represented, comprising a total of 1,698 genera and 11,580 native species of vascular plants (angiosperms, gymnosperms, and ferns) known from the island, 9,329 (82%) of which are endemic. In addition, ca. 950 unpublished new species, all endemic, were identified in 162 of the 587 genera that were evaluated in 2017 (some of which have now been published). Based on this and the rate of discovery of new species over the last three decades, the total flora is projected to comprise at least 14,900 species. When all species are taken into account, including those that remain to be described, nearly 90% of the native Malagasy flora will be endemic [Updated in 2024 from: Lowry, P. P., II, P. B. Phillipson, L. Andriamahefarivo, G. E. Schatz, F. Rajaonary and S. Andriambololonera. 2018. Flora. Pp. 243–255 in S. M. Goodman, M. J. Raherilalao and S. Wohlhauser (eds.), The terrestrial protected areas of Madagascar: Their history, description, and biota. Association Vahatra, Antananarivo].
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| Using the Madagascar Catalogue (MadCat) - The pale green horizontal Menu Bar provides access to basic search functions and standard TROPICOS links, while links on the pale green vertical Navigation Bar provides links to data browsing options, and to advance search options. A quick search for any plant name can most conveniently be made from the Taxon Name box on the Navigation Bar. The 'Search Builder' generates species lists based on multiple project attributes including a keyword search on a taxon name, thus generating a list restricted to a certain family or genus by specifying this name in the Keyword search box. Image Search accesses all images on TROPICOS, while the Project Query Builder is available only to logged-in users (Project Login access is normally only provided to project personnel and contributors).
On most pages in the upper right corner the words 'Choose Project' appear, providing links that enable the user to switch between a Madagascar Catalogue Project view and a standard TROPICOS view, or to the corresponding page in other TROPICOS Projects. Click on the Catalogue of the Plants of Madagascar header at any time to return to the Project Homepage.
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What was new in 2024?
- Descriptions of ten new species of Turraea L. (Meliaceae, Turraeeae) from Madagascar with notes on the species described by Buchenau - M.W. Callmander and L.Nusbaumer - Adansonia, sér. 3, 46 (11): 103-128.
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Protected Areas of Madagascar. Following the dramatic increase in the Protected Area Network in Madagascar, and the publication scheduled for early 2019 of "Les aires protégées terrestres de Madagascar : Leur histoire, description et biote / The terrestrial protected areas of Madagascar: Their history, description, and biota.", we have worked towards updating data in the Madagascar Catalogue for the protected areas. We have placed special emphasis on the sites designated as KBA (Key Biodiversity Areas) by CEPT (The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund). We present as updated interaction map of the network, and an Index to the Protected Areas of Madagascar.
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| Publication of the Red List of Threatened Malagasy Plant Species. In conjunction with the Malagasy Plant Specialist Group of the IUCN, we have been undertaking Threat Analysis and Conservation Status evaluations of Malagasy Vascular plants. To date approximately 3,000 evaluation have been completed, and in May 2011 a first plant Red List for Madagascar was published. It includes 1,676 species assessed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered.
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Kew Vegetation Atlas
View online at:
https://shop.kew.org/atlas-of-the-vegetation-of-madagascar
Edge species...
(under construction....)
New Taxa
Newly added or revised treatments for Madagascar (last updated - 25 March 2019).
The extraordinary botanical diversity of inselbergs in Madagascar.
Marina N. Rabarimanarivo, Brigitte Ramandimbisoa, Nivo H. Rakotoarivelo, Peter B. Phillipson, Sylvie Andriambololonera, Martin W. Callmander & Stefan Porembski. 2019. Candollea 74: 65-83.
In this box we provide links to the most recently added species or newly treated plant taxa for Madagascar and other publications on the flora.
Candollea Notes. The fourth in a new series of taxonomic notes on the Malagasy flora edited by project personnel and collaborators will be published in the twice-yearly journal of Geneva Botanical Garden and Herbarium. The first appeared in December, 2010. To date 25 short articles have been published dealing with diverse plant groups including:
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Arecaceae
Pandanaceae
Brackenridgea
Capuronia
Cissus
Croton
Cyperus
Didymoplexis
Diospyros
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Garcinia
Hetaeria
Indigofera
Korthalsella
Memecylon
Mimulopsis
Mimusops
Nervilia
Ochna
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Peltophorum
Psychotria
Rhodocolea
Stereospermum
Tabernaemontana
Tina
Vernoniopsis
Xerochlamys
...read more and access series index
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More than 15,360 images of Malagasy plants currently available (May, 2012), including 11395 photos of living plants and with more being added regularly. MadCat is richly illustrated with photos and high resolution scans of specimens.
See a selection of some of our favorite Malagasy plants but clicking on the image below (and find out what it is!), or search using the Images link on the horizontal menu bar or use the Image Galleries links on the sidebar for more image search options.
Links to images for all higher taxa are available on all Family and Order pages, see for example: Fabaceae or Lamiales.
...information on this and other selected images
Plant Themes. We are developing a series of MadCat special interest themes accessible through the 'Plant Themes' link on the Navigation Bar, or through the 'Search Builder'. These currently include:
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Protected Areas of Madagascar
The terrestrial protected areas of Madagascar, their history, description and biota.
Key Resources
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Last update: 29 May 2017
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Citation of this on-line resource:
Madagascar Catalogue. Catalogue of the Plants of Madagascar. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, U.S.A. & Antananarivo, Madagascar [https://www.tropicos.org/Project/Madagascar] Accessed: ].
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