Vainio’s Brazilian expedition (1885)

Vainio’s most significant expedition abroad began in 1884, when he first toured European herbariums and finally in 1885 spent three months in Brazil. In Brazil, he mainly collected in and around the Caraça Monastery, in the state of Minas Gerais, but also made significant collections around Rio de Janeiro. Lichens were naturally the main target, but Vainio also collected vascular plants, which are currently being digitized and inventoried. Vaino published a book describing the Brazilian nature and people based on his journey in 1888 (Matkustus Brasiliassa. Kuvaus luonnosta ja kansoista Brasiliassa. K.E. Holm. Helsinki).

In 1997, the International Association for Lichenology (IAL) held the Re-collecting Vainio Symposium at the Caraça Monastery. Soili Stenroos and Jaakko Hyvönen from the University of Turku participated in the symposium.