The bee plant community in a fragment of 8.2 ha in the Environmental Protection Area of "Lagoas e Dunas de Abaeté", in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil (12º56’ S /38º21’ W) was investigated. Between January and December 1996, three times a month, blooming plants were sampled. Floral traits such as size, shape, symmetry, sexuality, anther dehiscence, and colour; floral rewards and flowering period were recorded for each species. Restinga, a sand dune scrub is the vegetation type, formed mainly by shrubs and subshrubs. Ninety-seven plant species were observed, Fabaceae was the richest family in number of species. Bees visited 66 species but concentrated their visits in 12 species (79.4% of total of individuals). Waltheria cinerescens St. Hilaire and Byrsonima microphylla A. Juss. were the most abundant species in the area. Floral resources were available for the bees during the whole year but the number of flowers was greater at the low rainfall season. In general, flowers remained open during the whole day; most of them were monoclinous (89% of species), small, tubular, pink-purple (32%) and cream (31%), actinomorphic (63%) and arranged in inflorescences. Most of the species are mellitophilous (85%), it means that bees are probably the main pollen vector in this ecosystem.
Apoidea; bee plants; restinga; sand dunes
