Plants, Research, Conservation, and Education in the Bahama Archipelago. The Emerging Picture

This is an introductory paper for a Special Issue of Botanical Review devoted to plant biodiversity in the Bahamian archipelago. The papers published in this issue represent some of the contributions presented at a symposium that took place in Nassau in October 30 and 31, 2012 to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the publication of the “Flora of the Bahama Archipelago” by Donovan and Helen Correll. The papers provide insights pertinent to plant conservation challenges, current floristic studies, plant endemicity patterns, plant exploration history, molecular systematic perspectives, and the importance of botanic garden collections for research, horticulture, and education.