Composição florística da vegetação altimontana do distrito de Monte Verde (Camanducaia, MG), Serra da Mantiqueira Meridional, Sudeste do Brasil

Abstract

The Serra da Mantiqueira mountain range harbors a mosaic of high-mountain vegetation composed of upper montane forests, Araucária forests, high-altitude grasslands and rocky outcrops. A floristic survey was carried out in the upper montane formations of Monte Verde district, Camanducaia, in the State of Minas Gerais, southeastern Brazil, to quantify the richness of each formation, and analyze the geographic distribution of species. A total of 499 species was collected, distributed among 97 families and 285 genera. The richest families were Asteraceae (77 species), Melastomataceae and Orchidaceae (25), Myrtaceae (24), Orchidaceae (23), Solanaceae (23), Cyperaceae and Fabaceae (22), and Rubiaceae (18). The richest genera were Baccharis (16 species), Solanum (15), Leandra (10), Myrceugenia (9), Tibouchina (8), and Myrcia (7). The occurrence of three newly described species and five new records for Minas Gerais state were observed. About 60 species occur only in the southeast of Brazil, while 124 also occur in the southern region of Brazil. The occurrence of endemic species and species with narrow geographic distribution showed the influence of the Serra da Mantiqueira mountain chain on the distribution of plant species in the Atlantic Forest Domain