Abstract

Being the richest family worldwide, the Asteraceae is also the richest Chilean family at the genus and species level. According to the most up to date knowledge, it encompasses 123 genera and 838 native species, that pertain to 20 different tribes. The 123 genera have been classified in 7 floristic elements and 9 generalized tracks and the geographical evolution of the family is discussed. Analysis of endemism has been undertaken by means of the program NDM/VNDM, resulting in 6 areas of endemism, some of them overlapping in Central Chile. Finally, several aspects about the conservation of the Chilean Asteraceae are discussed, considering also the high degree of alien invasive taxa and the gaps in the distributional knowledge. An exercise towards bridging these gaps is undertaken by means of niche modeling of Mutisia species.