ABSTRACT:

Colombia represents the highest register of Araceae species by area. However, across the country there is a high sampling bias, with records especially lacking in the Andes and the biogeographic region of Choc?. Therefore, a study of the aroids was developed in the oriental slope of the Colombian Western Cordillera in the Natural National Park Tatam? using plots every 200m in an altitudinal range between 2400 ? 3000m asl. Two genera (Anthurium and Chlorospatha) and 14 species were recorded. Of these 71.42% had a terrestrial habit, 21.43% were hemiepiphyte and 7.14% epiphyte. The genus with the largest number of species (12) and the widest distribution was Anthurium. One species, Anthurium longegeniculatum, was present through all the altitudinal gradient studied. The highest species diversity was found in the plots located between 2400 ? 2600 m. The known distribution of nine species of Anthurium and two species of Chlorospatha is enlarged in the Natural National Park Tatam?. These results highlight the fact that it?s necessary to increase the sampling and the floristic researches on Araceae, due its complexity, high diversity and endemism in the Neotropics, especially in the Andes.