El fin de la Botánica

Despite the fact that plants represent the basis for the survival of life on Earth, the Botany of the 21st century is going through a crisis. The number of Botany students, of Botany courses, of plant collections, of Botany departments in universities and of botanists participating in meetings and conventions has been declining in recent years. In an attempt to understand this problem, the following topics are analyzed: scientific reductionism, the state of natural history collections, the logic of the market applied to science, and language as a constructor of reality. These issues are framed within a Latin American perspective. The ambiguity of the title of this contribution: cessation or purpose?, should lean toward the purpose, on the basis of the recognition of the problem, the history of Latin American botany, and the great biodiversity of Latin America.