This work provides an account of the 2,575 species of flowering plants and ferns in one of Mexico’s biologically richest protected areas. The profusely color-illustrated scientific work also narrates the history of botanical research in this remote and beautiful mountain range of southern Jalisco, provides succinct but detailed analyses of vegetation, physiography, and biotic regions, a thorough and very complete dissertation on the rare and endangered elements of this extremely diverse flora, and a preliminary listing of the cultivated species of plants useful to the rural population living in this protected area.
This publication will be of enormous value to educators and researchers interested in Mexico’s vegetation and historical biogeography, as well as to development- and conservation-minded persons who see investment possibilities in Mexico’s protected areas. Ecotourism, local forest enterprises, and small businesses that capitalize on commercializing locally available resources to a world receptive to green-labeled products are but a few of the opportunities that present themselves.