Contributiones selectae ad floram et vegetationem Orientis

Southwest Asia is one of the most important regions of the Old World, not only with respect to its Late Quaternary human history and cultural development, but also from a geobotanical, floristic and ethnobotanical point of view. European botanists have travelled in and investigated this area since the end of the 16th century. This exploration of its flora and vegetation is still going on and is far from complete. In order to summarize, analyse and coordinate these recent scientific activities, two symposia entitled „Plant Life of Southwest Asia“ were held in Edinburgh in 1970 and 1985. The steering committee chose Berlin as the meeting place in 1990 for the „Third Plant Life of Southwest Asia Symposium“. The topics dealt with ranged from systematics and taxonomy, evolution and life-strategies of taxa with a speciation centre in SW Asia, development and structure of natural vegetation, evolution and ecology of cultivated and synanthropic plants, to nature protection, man and the environment. However, as a consequence of the large number of contributors, it was not possible to publish all the papers presented. But we are sure that a wide spectrum of botanical research is covered, and the present state of knowledge of the flora and vegetation of Southwest Asia is well documented.