Background:

Bromeliaceae family in Mexico has been the object of interest by botanists since 1789; their systematic study was approached from the 1970s onwards, and now there are significant advances in its taxonomic-floristic knowledge.

Question:

How many and which species of Bromeliaceae occur in Mexico? How they are distributed, and how many are endemic?

Study site:

México, 1887-2017.

Methods:

Based on the study of the Mexican Bromeliaceae, including botanical collection, literature review, and revision, analysis and determination of specimens in 50 herbaria, data about species richness, Mexican endemics, and distribution of their taxa in the country, were obtained.

Results:

In Mexico are represented four of the eight subfamilies of Bromeliaceae, 19 genera, 422 species, and 8 infraespecific taxa. The genera with the highest number of species in the country are Tillandsia (230/54.5 %), Hechtia (71/16.8 %) and Pitcairnia (50/11.8 %). 318 of the Bromeliaceae species are endemics to Mexico, as well as Ursulaea and Viridantha genera; 172 species are microendemic. The entity with the highest number of taxa is Oaxaca, followed by Chiapas, Veracruz and Guerrero. Tlaxcala and Baja California Sur have the lowest species number. Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Ciudad de México, San Luis Potosí, Sonora, Tabasco y Tlaxcala have not strict endemic taxa.

Conclusion:

Although progress in the knowledge of Mexican Bromeliaceae has been constant, exploration and recollection work is still required before concluding the Mexican bromeliad flora. It is also necessary to promote studies considering aspects of conservation and sustainable use.

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