The Área de Proteção Ambiental Serra da Capoeira Grande is a 80 ha site and one of the last forest remnants in Rio de Janeiro municipality where Caesalpinia echinata Lam. (brazilwood) occurs naturally. Trees were sampled according to the point-centered-quarter method. The inclusion criteria was PBH ³ 15 cm and a total of 200 points were surveyed. 44 species were identified, belonging to 36 genera and 22 botanical families The families with the higher importance value indices (VI) were Solanaceae (34.1%), Leguminosae (Mimosoideae with 16.4%, Papilionoideae with 7.9% and Caesalpinioideae with 2.1%), Nyctaginaceae (13.0%), Anacardiaceae (6.5%) and Flacourtiaceae (6.1%). The species with greater number of individuals were the same with higher VI. They are: Metternichia princeps Mik. with 40.4% of the individuals and 33.7% of the total VI, Pseudopiptadenia contorta G.P. Lewis & M.P. Lima (9.3 and 12.6%), Guapira hirsuta (Choisy) Lundell (7.5 and 7.8%), Astronium fraxinifolium Schott ex Spreng. (5.6 and 5.7%). Caesalpinia echinata Lam. followed with 2.4% of the individuals and 2.1% of the total VI. Trunk diameters of the individuals are concentred in the smallest classes diameter distribution of the most important species sampled indicate abundant regeneration.
Phytossociology; Atlantic Forest; forest fragments; Caesalpinia echinata
