Charles Brewer-Carías Plant Genus Discovery
Charles Brewer-Carías with his daughter Karen next to the new plant species near a waterfall on the Auyantepui mesa in the Guayana Highlands
- Photo by Federico Mayoral.
- Photo by Federico Mayoral.
The vast tropical continent of South America has a long history of botanical exploration and discovery, from the great Victorian explorer Richard Spruce’s fifteen years of exploration along the Amazon and into the Andes, to the father of ethnobotany Richard Evans Schultes, who collected over thirty thousand herbarium specimens, including three hundred species new to science, during his Amazonian expeditions in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Continuing this great Victorian tradition of botanical exploration is Venezuelan polymath and Encyclopaedist, Charles Brewer-Carias. A true generalist and old-school naturalist who continues to make significant contributions to the fields of botany, zoology, anthropology, and geography, with 28 new species now bearing the name of this most remarkable explorer. One of Charles’ most scientifically captivating botanical discoveries is a new genus of plant which he found whilst exploring the Auyantepui, one of the largest tepuis in the Guayana Highlands in Venezuela.
Photo below by Fanny de Brewer
Charles describes the region where he made the botanical discovery and his kinship with the Victorian era explorers whilst making a botanical drawing/study of the new plant genus in the following quote - “ I found the new plant at the Auyantepui a tepui or mesa shaped mountain in the Guayana Highlands in Venezuela, that is the place also of the Angel´s Falls, the highest waterfall in the world. When I do these drawings I remember those made by the explorers that went into the Amazon in the 19th century. We believe that this plant that no one saw before, is a new genera or even could be a new family, which is an event that occurs now every 100 years more or less. But the taxonomists are sure that it is a new species. So they will decide its name.”
Much of Charles’ botanical exploration of the Guayana Highlands, with its ancient plateaus and mesa shaped mountains, is documented in his beautiful book “The Lost World of Venezuela and Its Vegetation” which has comprehensive chapters coveing the exploration of each individual tepui including information about their historical exploration by 19th century explorers. The book also includes Charles’ research on the Heliamphora or pitcher plants that are endemic to South America in the chapter covering carnivorous plants.
Much of Charles’ botanical exploration of the Guayana Highlands, with its ancient plateaus and mesa shaped mountains, is documented in his beautiful book “The Lost World of Venezuela and Its Vegetation” which has comprehensive chapters coveing the exploration of each individual tepui including information about their historical exploration by 19th century explorers. The book also includes Charles’ research on the Heliamphora or pitcher plants that are endemic to South America in the chapter covering carnivorous plants.
Below is Charles botanical drawing of the new plant genus
Auyantepui, the aformentioned sandstone mountian where Charles made the dicovery of the new genus of plants, is the largest in the group of flat topped mountians known as tepuis and has a long and colourful history of exploration. It also has the world’s highest waterfall, Angel Falls at 960 meters. A multi-discipline expedition to the plateau in 1978 by Charles and the Dunstervilles, who where orchid hunters, resulted in an indepth survey of the mountian’s unique flora.
For more indepth information on the botanical exploration of Auyantepui please see the following books -
“The Lost World of Venezuela and Its Vegetation” by Charles Brewer-Carías
“Orchid Hunting in the Lost World, And Elsewhere in Venezuela” by by G. C. K. Dunsterville Please see the following link to Charles’ website - https://brewerexpedition.wixsite.com/charlesbrewercarias
Charles’ daughter Karen is also an accomplished naturalist in her own right and her instagram pages can be reached at the following links - https://www.instagram.com/karenexplora/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/charlesbrewercarias/?hl=en
For more indepth information on the botanical exploration of Auyantepui please see the following books -
“The Lost World of Venezuela and Its Vegetation” by Charles Brewer-Carías
“Orchid Hunting in the Lost World, And Elsewhere in Venezuela” by by G. C. K. Dunsterville Please see the following link to Charles’ website - https://brewerexpedition.wixsite.com/charlesbrewercarias
Charles’ daughter Karen is also an accomplished naturalist in her own right and her instagram pages can be reached at the following links - https://www.instagram.com/karenexplora/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/charlesbrewercarias/?hl=en
“I have 28 eponymous plants frogs, scorpions, crickets and caves to my name. These have been kindness of the taxonomist in charge of the identification of hundreds of new species that have been collected and later described by the specialists.
One of these is a new genus or genera that was named Brewcaria and besides Brewcaria duidensis, another four species have been discovered since 1981 and have been assigned as related to that same genus. Now another new genera or maybe a family of plants and a genera of new algae and other species are possibly to be named to remember my work.” - Charles Brewer Carias
One of these is a new genus or genera that was named Brewcaria and besides Brewcaria duidensis, another four species have been discovered since 1981 and have been assigned as related to that same genus. Now another new genera or maybe a family of plants and a genera of new algae and other species are possibly to be named to remember my work.” - Charles Brewer Carias
The above image mosaic showcases the many plant and animal species discovered and named after Charles
Auyantepui gallery, click on photos to enlarge
Red dot in the map) where I found the new plant at the Auyantepui - Charles Brewer-Carías