The historical background of studies on Brazilian Orchidaceae dates back almost 400 years. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on Brazilian Orchidaceae across three thematic axes: 1. diversity, distribution, and endemism; 2. taxonomy and systematics; and 3. structural, genetic, and ecological characterization. Brazil harbors five naturalized and 202 native genera, of which 23 are endemic to the country. There are currently 2515 accepted species (out of 9907 species names). Among the 7218 synonyms, 3915 are heterotypic, yielding a synonymy rate of 60.9%. Brazil is the second country in orchid endemism with 1540 endemic species. Apostasioideae is not present in Brazil, but the remaining four orchid subfamilies are represented by 16 tribes and 23 subtribes. The richest phytogeographic domain is the Atlantic Forest (1398 spp.), followed by the Amazon Forest (784 spp.) and Cerrado (656 spp.). The richest subtribes are Pleurothallidinae (642 spp.), Laeliinae (397 spp.), and Oncidiinae (283 spp.). Moving beyond a purely taxonomic and phylogenetic framework, this work offers a comprehensive synthesis of Brazilian Orchidaceae, encompassing the state of the art in cytogenetics, anatomy, population genetics, reproductive biology, and pollination. Despite these advances, there are pronounced disparities among regions, taxa, and research approaches. The persistence of these shortfalls highlights the urgent need for integrative research frameworks. Future progress in Brazilian orchidology depends on the strengthening of collaborative networks and interdisciplinary approaches.

Scaphyglottis Poepp. & Endl. (Orchidaceae) is a neotropical genus with 78 species, 14 of which are found in Brazil. Some of these taxa have an intricate taxonomy, especially due to the morphological similarity among species and the existence of species complexes. Our study aims to test if the labellum shape, the main source of species diagnostic characters, can confirm the proposed circumscription of Brazilian species of Scaphyglottis. We analyzed 136 flowers from 12 species, to which we applied 12 landmarks, using a geometric morphometrics approach. Our results show that most species can be distinguished. Most of the variation is observed in the claw and apices of labellum lobes, confirming that the labellum is important tool in taxon distinction. Species with distinctly 3-lobed labellum showed some overlap but, for these taxa, we have found distinction specially in the lateral lobes. Our study showed new morphologically variable features in Scaphyglottis that can be used in future taxonomic studies. For widely distributed species we suggest a population-level approach, as local environmental factors can impact morphology, causing expected intraspecific variation.

The genus Scaphyglottis Poepp. & Endl. presents 78 species and occurs from Mexico to Brazil. Scaphyglottis punctulata (Rchb.f.) C.Schweinf. is known from various high elevation locations from Panama to Bolivia. Here, we report new records in two regions of the Brazil portion of the Guiana Shield. We provide a detailed description, photographic plates, updated distribution map, ecological and taxonomic comments for S. punctulata, and an identification key for Scaphyglottis species from the Brazilian portion of the Guiana Shield.

Resumo Este estudo apresenta o tratamento florístico das espécies de Vitaceae que ocorrem na Reserva Florestal Adolpho Ducke, Amazonas, Brasil. Coletas provenientes da Reserva Ducke foram analisadas a partir de exsicatas depositadas no herbário INPA. Foram registradas duas espécies do gênero Cissus para a reserva, Cissus erosa e C. verticillata subsp. verticillata. Apresentamos descrições das espécies, comentários taxonômicos, ilustrações, informação sobre hábitat, distribuição geográfica e uma chave de identificação para as espécies.

Aristolochia comprises about 450 species, occurring mainly in tropical regions. Here, we record for the first time Aristolochia wankeana in Brazil, specifically in two municipalities in the state of Amazonas (Presidente Figueiredo and Rio Preto da Eva). Previously, this species had only been recorded in Guyana and French Guiana. We provide the species description based on the new records, a preliminary extinction risk assessment, photographic plates, an updated geographic distribution map, ecological comments, and an updated key for species identification of Aristolochia subser. Anthocaulicae from the Brazilian Amazon.