We undertook a floristic survey to describe the phytophysiognomies of a restinga at Maracaípe, and related these to life form, soil fertility, and variation in the local water-table level. The study area is located at 08º31'48"S and 35º01'05"W, and has 76.2 ha of restinga vegetation. The regional climate is classified as As' and local soils are sandy Neosols. Random walks to collect botanical material were made in the three different vegetation physiognomies found in the area - forest, flooded grassland and non-flooded grassland - from July/2003 to July/2005. The resulting list of plant species was compared to other restinga areas of Northeast Brazil. A total of 187 species belonging to 148 genera and 71 families were found in the survey area. The families best represented were Poaceae (13 species), Cyperaceae (12), Myrtaceae (10), Orchidaceae (9), Rubiaceae (8), Bromeliaceae and Fabaceae (7). Phanerophytes were well represented in the forest, while camephytes, therophytes, and cryptophytes were best represented in the flooded grassland and non-flooded grassland. The soils of the different vegetation physiognomies differed in terms of chemical composition, and the water table reached the soil surface only in the flooded grassland. We conclude that different proportions of life form, variation in water-table levels, and soil organic matter and aluminum content were determining factors for segregating the different plant physiognomies in the Maracaípe restinga.
coastal vegetation; flooded grassland; forest; life form; non-flooded grassland
