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The Flora of Colombia is characterized by a high biodiversity, with the highest rate of species by area unit worldwide. Over 130.000 species of plants have been described within Colombian territory.
The national flower of Colombia is the orchid Cattleya trianae which was named after the Colombian naturalist José Jerónimo Triana. The orchid was selected by botanist Emilio Robledo, in representation of the Colombian Academy of History to determine the most representative flowering plant of Colombia. He described it as one of the most beautiful flowers in the world and selected Cattleya trianae as National symbol.
The national tree of Colombia is the palm Ceroxylon quindiuense (Quindio Wax Palm) which was named after the Colombian Department of Quindio where is located the Cocora valley, only habitat of this restricted range specie. The Wax palm was selected as the national tree by the government of Belisario Betancur and was the first tree officially declared as protected species in Colombia. C. quindiuense is the only palm that grows at high altitudes and is the tallest monocot in the world.
According to the colombian Ministry of Environment, the following ecoregions have the highest percentage of botanic endemisms:
- Colombian Amazon basin
- Catatumbo River basin
- Mid Magdalena river basin
- Pacific coastal region
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