This is the first full scientific account of the fabled "Lost World" made famous by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The geologically ancient region of South America is home to some 10,000 species of plants, of which an incredibly high 23 percent are found nowhere else on Earth. Before publication of the flora, the plants of this remote area were little known to scientists and poorly understood. The project was initiated by the late Garden curator Julian Steyermark in 1983 and has been based at the Garden since 1984. More than 200 botanists have contributed to the flora, which will include over 5,000 drawings.

Six of the projected nine volumes have already been published by MBG Press. The project is scheduled for completion in 2003.