Isolated monoliths of granitic and/or gneissic rock rising abruptly from the surrounding landscape are known as inselbergs. Dome-shaped inselbergs are common throughout the Atlantic Forest in south-eastern Brazil, a region known as Sugarloaf Land (SLL). This study aimed to create the first checklist of vascular plant species occurring on lowland inselbergs in SLL, with a focus on vegetation islands. We used information from online databases, our own field sampling and data from previously-published studies. We found 548 vascular plant species (505 angiosperms; 43 ferns and lycophytes) belonging to 69 families and 212 genera. Of all identified species, 536 are native and 12 are naturalised. We updated the information currently available in Flora do Brasil 2020, as 59% of the angiosperms and 63% of the ferns and lycophytes on our checklist were not previously characterised as occurring on rock outcrops. As a first step towards generating a Virtual Herbarium of lowland inselberg vascular plants, we added barcode vouchers with images available online for 75% of the total number of vascular species. In the official lists of endangered species, 115 angiosperms and five ferns and lycophytes are mentioned. However, the conservation status of many species have not yet been evaluated (77% angiosperms; 88% ferns and lycophytes), thus this list is an important step towards their conservation. The information provided herein is essential for management programmes related to rock outcrops in Brazil as they are facing serious threats to conservation.

The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

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A new species, Helosis antillensis (Scybalioideae: Helosieae), is described, illustrated, and annotated. A key of the known species of Helosis is presented. The new species is the third recognized within the genus and the second Helosis species in the Neotropics. It is also the second Balanophoraceae endemic to the islands of the Caribbean Sea. The new species, related to H. cayennensis, is distinguished by runners with remarkable verrucous surface projections, an inflorescence stalk up to 4.5 cm long, volva that are medially to apically inserted, peltate bracts with distinctly apiculate apices, staminate flowers with free filaments, and pistillate flowers with bifid and deltoid perianth segments (0.3-0.4 mm long).