REFLORA VIRTUAL HERBARIUM Rafaela Campostrini Forzza, Fabiana Luiza Ranzato Filardi, João Paulo dos Santos Condack, Marco Antônio Palomares Accardo Filho Accardo Filho, Paula Leitman, Silvana Helena Nascimento Monteiro, Vitor Faria Monteiro

Abstract

Through the Reflora Program, the Brazilian government began, in 2010, the repatriation of specimens collected in Brazilian territory, starting in the 18th century, and deposited in European herbaria. Repatriation consists of obtaining high-resolution images of the exsiccates, as well as their associated data. The first partners in this initiative were the herbariums K, P and RB. Based on images and data from these three important collections, in September 2013, the Reflora Virtual Herbarium was launched. This innovative system allows, among other features, the re-identification and typing of samples, the association of duplicates and the thorough analysis of images, in addition to providing varied searches on the Brazilian flora, both by the botanical community and the general public. From 2014 onwards, new foreign partners were added to the project (MO, NY, S and W) and the collections of 18 national herbaria also became part of the Reflora Virtual Herbarium database, namely: ALCB, ASE, CEN, CEPEC, EAC, ESA, FLOR, FURB, HBR, HDCF, HUFU, MBM, MG, RON, SPF, UFRN, UPCB and VIES. In June 2015, this virtual collection reached the milestone of one million images and this number increases every week. Among these specimens, it should be noted that around 80,000 are nomenclatural types, 64,250 of which came from repatriation. New partnerships are being signed with international and national institutions with the aim of digitizing as many specimens as possible, essential for the preparation of the 2020 Monographed Flora of Brazil.