Abstract
This study surveyed floristic composition and physiognomy of an area of submontane seasonal semi-deciduous forest and examine floristic relationships on the Chapada Diamantina. Angiosperm species were collected monthly in 2004 and from May 2006 to August 2007. Physiognomy was characterized by the profile and species' habit. A total of 117 species belonging to 85 genera and 49 families were identified. Some of the more species-rich taxa are recurrent in other forests in Brazil, especially the families Fabaceae, Myrtaceae, Lauraceae and Apocynaceae, and the genera Ocotea, Myrcia, Casearia and Inga. The canopy consists of trees 10-16m tall, such as Micropholis gardneriana (Sapotaceae) and Pogonophora schomburgkiana (Euphorbiaceae) with 26-meter-tall emergents. The sub-canopy is located approximately 6-9 m above the forest floor and contains most of the tree species. The understory is composed mostly of saplings of the species that form the upper strata, species of the families Rubiaceae and Melastomataceae and Parodiolyra micrantha (Poaceae). Comparing with other forests showed taxa previously found on the Chapada Diamantina, indicating greater consistency and greater richness of the tree component on the Chapada: Myrtaceae, Fabaceae, Anacardiaceae, Apocynaceae, Sapotaceae, Simaroubaceae, Calyptranthes, Pouteria, Simarouba, Tapirira, Clusia, Miconia, Myrcia and Protium. The study indicated a distinction between Submontane Seasonal Forest and other forest formations on the Chapada, showing the need for more floristic and structural studies there.
Key words:
fitogeography; similarity; semiarid