SUMMARY
The activities of the Department of Botany of the Museu Goeldi are considered in this memoir, beginning in 1955 when the administration of the Museu became the responsibility of the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). Since 1914, with the death of the botanist J. Huber. Botanical research at the Museu in the former Botany Section had come to a standstill, and the herbarium collection of plant specimens suffered serious losses due to its state of virtual abandonment and to the lack of resources for its curation. In 1955, with the entry of the CNPq into the Museu by virtue of a bilateral agreement with the government of the State of Pará, the entire collection of the herbarium consisted of only 12.000 plant specimnes in the care of a part-time curator, in that same year, the botanical collection was completely reorganized and botanical expeditions were begun. Botanical research was reiniciated, and the research staff in Botany was gradually expanded to the presente level: 35 people, including the botanists, research students and techninicians. Presently, the Department of Botany holds 91,000 botanical specimens, comprising the colletctions of pressed plants, woods, and fruits. During the decade of the 1970s, about 65 excursions were conducted most of wich involved 30 to 90 days in the field.