ABSTRACT:

A comparative analysis of richness patterns by physiographic regions and a list of Araceae of Chiapas is presented based on a 6-year field study and a review of herbarium material. Eleven genera and seventy-nine species of Araceae were recorded for Chiapas, of which fifteen species are endemic to Chiapas. The genera Anthurium and Philodendron were the major components in the family. The Sierra Madre de Chiapas, the Northern Highlands and the Eastern Highlands were the richest regions for Araceae with 53, 44 and 36 species respectively with the richness apparently correlated with the broad range of elevation and climate exhibited in these regions. The Pacific and Gulf Coastal Plains as well as the Central Depression of Chiapas are regions which are less diverse with 18, 3 and 15 species respectively. Using Jaccard's Index, the Northern Highland and Eastern Highland region were found to be more similar (0.54) while Gulf Coastal Plain, Sierra Madre and Central Plateau were regions less similar in species composition (0.05).