Composición y distribución de los helechos y licófitos del bosque muy húmedo premontano: vereda Vergel Alto (Cubarral – Meta), Colombia

We present here the composition and distribution of ferns and lycophytes of a very humid premontane forest located between 1000 and 1900 m of elevation in the Vergel Alto rural district, municipality of Cubarral, Meta, Colombian Eastern Cordillera. We recorded 116 species belonging to 51 genera and 19 families: 110 fern species and only six lycophyte species. Fifty-three species were recorded for the first time in the department of Meta. The families with the highest number of genera were Polypodiaceae (10), Blechnaceae (5), Dryopteridaceae (5), and Pteridaceae (5). The genera with the highest number of species were Elaphoglossum (10 spp.), Asplenium (9 spp.), Cyathea (7 spp.), and Hymenophyllum (7 spp.). The remaining genera have five or fewer species. Most of the species are exclusively terrestrial (36.2%) and, to a lesser extent, epiphytes (31.9%) or rupicolous (6%). The highest concentration of species occurred at 1600 m of elevation. Comparing the species composition with nearby regions, we found that Vergel Alto is more similar to the Guavio and Santa María regions (46.7%) than La Macarena (40.3%). We also prepared a catalog with all species from Vergel Alto, including data on their distribution, habit, habitat, and the collections examined.