The Flore du Gabon (Flora of Gabon) is a series of books devoted to describing the rich and splendid diversity of vascular plants in Gabon, and providing basic information on each species. As such, it is an indispensable tool for botanists, conservationists, ecologists, foresters, and all others interested in the flora of this country, with which they are able to identify the plants they encounter.
Gabon has an estimated 7000 species of vascular plants of which 11% is endemic to the country, and harbours the most species-rich lowland rain forest on the African continent. To date, only some 5300 species are actually known to occur in Gabon, but very regularly new species are being recorded, either as a new record for the country or as a species completely new to science.
The volumes 1 to 37 of the Flore du Gabon were published from 1961 to 2005 by the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris. Between 2009 and 2013 the volumes 38 to 45 were published by the Wageningen branch of the National Herbarium of the Netherlands (now part of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center). From 2014 onwards (volumes 46--), the series is produced under the mutual responsibility of Naturalis Biodiversity Center at Leiden and Meise Botanic Garden. The volumes 38-- can be ordered through Margraf Publishers at Wekersheim, Germany. Through Margraf you can also purchase the complete series, or notify them of your interest in placing a standing order so that you receive all new volumes.
The editorial team of the Flore du Gabon consists of the following persons:
A large international team of 60 experts in African botany are involved in finishing the Flore du Gabon. The aim is to produce the final volume in 2025. By clicking here, you can see which families have already been treated in the Flore du Gabon series.
Meanwhile, the majority of the volumes 1 to 45 have been converted to an electronic format and are accessible through the CDM e-Flora platform.
The Checklist of Gabonese Vascular Plants (Sosef et al., 2006. Scripta Botanica Belgica vol. 35), which can be ordered from the webshop of Meise Botanic Garden, lists all of the species known to occur in Gabon. It provides some basic information and cites all herbarium specimens for each of them.
The Naturalis Biodiversity Center – Botany Department holds a database with valuable information on some 95% of all herbarium specimens ever collected in Gabon. This database can be consulted on-line at http://herbarium.naturalis.nl/gabon, where it is regularly updated.
For any additional information, please contact the Editor-in-Chief: marc.sosef@botanicgardenmeise.be