Table 1. Ten largest families in Peru with their respective ranking in Ecuador given in parentheses. The same 10 families occupy the top 10 positions in both countries, with the exception of Euphorbiaceae in Peru, which is replaced by the Araceae in Ecuador. In the Peru checklist a broad concept of the Fabaceae (including Caesalpiniaceae and Mimosaceae) is used, while in the Ecuador checklist Fabaceae sensu stricto, Caesalpinia- ceae, and Mimosaceae are accepted. We follow the concept of the Peru checklist and have, for the Ecuador count, included the species numbers of the Caesalpiniaceae and Mimosaceae in the Fabaceae. The Cypripediaceae are recognized as a separate family in the Ecuador checklist, but are included in the Orchidaceae in the Peru checklist; in this paper the Cypripediaceae are included in the Orchidaceae.