Taxonomia de Moraceae gaudich do Parque Florestal Mata de Cazuzinha, Cruz das Almas, Bahia

Abstract

The Atlantic Forest is the third largest biome in the country, stretching along the Brazilian coast and passing through 14 states. It is composed of various plant communities, including mangroves, restingas, ombrófila and seasonal forests. In Bahia, there are five regions of Atlantic Forest, with 20 Environmental Protection Areas and about 30 Private Natural Heritage Reserves, which protect a large portion of the remaining biome in the state. One of these remnants is the urban fragment of the Atlantic Forest called Mata de Cazuzinha Forest Park, located in the city of Cruz das Almas, in the region of Recôncavo da Bahia. The PFMC is an area of approximately 14,574 hectares with trees up to 30 meters tall and a well-represented understory, with records of about 330 species distributed across 70 families, including Moraceae, which ranks eighth in species richness. Moraceae comprises about 50 genera and 1500 species distributed mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. In Brazil, there are 27 genera and 250 species distributed across all biomes in the country, and in Bahia, there are 9 genera and 47 species. However, the survey of species in this family for Recôncavo is still scarce, requiring more collections and taxonomic treatment. The taxonomic study of Moraceae in PFMC revealed relevant data, such as the first record of Dorstenia gracilis (Carauta, C. Valente & Araujo) for Bahia, and the occurrence of the threatened species Ficus holosericea (Schott). For PFMC, there are records of 10 species distributed in 7 genera that can be identified through the reading of a dichotomous key developed in this work, along with photographic plates for the Moraceae species of Mata de Cazuzinha Forest Park, thus expanding knowledge about the flora of Recôncavo da Bahia and, especially, about Mata de Cazuzinha Forest Park, whose floristic composition has been shown to be significant and relevant.