The structure of dense shrubby vegetation growing on the beach ridges at Barra de Maricá, Brazil (22°53'S and 42°50'W) was studied using the line intercept method; 398 woody plants over 50 cm tall were sampled in 350 m for a total of 42 species. The most important families of this plant community are Myrtaceae (nine species) and Leguminosae (five species). Myrtaceae was first in number of individuals and importance value. Clusia lanceolata Cambess. (Guttiferae), Maytenus obtusifolia Mart. (Celastraceae), Myrrhinium atropurpureum Schott (Myrtaceae) and the genus Guapira (Nyctaginaceae; three species) had the highest species importance values. Species diversity (H' = 2.84 nats/ind.) is similar to that of other shrubby coastal plain communities in southeastern Brazil, but there are a greater number of rare species (38%). This community was identified as a Myrtaceae "thicket".
Coastal vegetation structure; line intercept method; southeastern Brazil
