ABSTRACT
The Ipitangas Restinga is home to one of the last remnants of non-flooded restinga forest on the coast of Rio de Janeiro state, from Marambaia to Cabo Frio. Forest structure was studied using the point-centered quadrant method and minimum diameter of 5cm at breast height and at soil level. A total of 108 species were recorded in 34 families; Myrtaceae, Leguminosae and Sapotaceae were the most species-rich families. Algernonia obovata, Pterocarpus rohrii, Pseudopiptadenia contorta, Guapira opposita, Alseis involuta, Simaba cuneata, Astronium graveolens, Eriotheca pentaphylla andOcotea complicata were among the ten most important species based on Importance Value (IV) calculated from both breast height and soil level diameters. Pouteria grandiflora had the highest number of multiple trunks based on both diameter measurements, while Algernonia obovata and Pterocarpus rohrii had high numbers of multiple trunks when taken into consideration soil level diameter. Total dominance based on breast height diameter was 23.2 m2/ha while that using soil level diameter was 39.2 m2/ha. These results are influenced mainly by trunk shape, the presence of buttresses and by multiple trunks. The forest at Ipitangas had greater floristic similarity when compared to areas in the Cabo Frio Center of Plant Diversity and in the state of Espírito Santo than when compared to areas on the coast south of Rio de Janeiro state.
Key words:
phytosociology; Atlantic forest; multiple trunks; Center of Plant Diversity; Cabo Frio; Jacarepiá forest