The inventory and taxonomic study of the tribe Justicieae (Acanthaceae) of Bahia State's Semiarid region are presented. For the execution of this inventory, collections of Bahia herbaria and major herbaria of the Southeast and South of Brazil, and random collections (georeferenced) were conducted covering 25 municipalities of the Semiarid region of the Bahia State. Twenty-seven species and ten genera were recognized, namely: Justicia L. (17 species), Harpochilus Nees (2), Anisacanthus (A. trilobus Lindau), Clistax Mart. (C. speciosus Nees), Dicliptera Juss. (D. mucronifolia Nees), Herpetacanthus Nees (H. magnobracteolatus Idriunas & Kameyama), Poikilacanthus Lindau (P. bahiensis (Nees) Wassh.), Pseuderanthemum Radlk. (P. modestum (Nees) Radlk.), Schaueria Nees (S. humuliflora Nees), and Thyrsacanthus Moric. (T. ramosissimus Moric.). A new combination is proposed, Justicia chamaedryoides (Nees) Wassh. ex A.L.A. Côrtes & P.L.R. Moraes. Many of the species included in the treatment have not been described since the Flora Brasiliensis, published in the 19th century, and some are new reports to the Bahia State. Six species of Justicia, including four new species recently described besides Harpochilus neesianus and Anisacanthus trilobus, are endemic to the Semiarid. Key for identification and descriptions of taxa, illustrations and comments on the taxonomy and geographic distribution of species, including maps of occurrence in the State, are provided.
Caatinga; Floristics; Justicia; Taxonomy
