Vascular flora of semi-arid region, São José do Piauí, state of Piauí, Brazil

Abstract

The Caatinga biome is located in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil and covers about 37 % of Piauí state. The main objective of the present study was a characterization of the Caatinga flora of the farm of Morro do Baixio, in state of Piauí, Brazil (06°51’13” S; 41°28’15” W, at 400 to 540 m above sea level) in view of the fact that very few such surveys were conducted in the state. The flora of the farm was surveyed monthly, during a year, to gather herbs, epiphytes, parasites, sub shrubs, shrubs and trees. We encountered 136 species belonging to 46 families, including a new species of Bauhinia. The richest families were Caesalpiniaceae (15 spp.), Fabaceae (11 spp.), Bignoniaceae and Mimosaceae (both with nine spp.). We observed a higher frequency of typical species from sedimentary Caatinga. However, local conditions favor the appearance of species that occur in Carrasco and Cerrado.