ABSTRACT
Leguminosae Juss. is a largely distributed family, being dominant in several dry ecosystems, such as the Caatinga woodlands. This work deals with the taxonomic survey of Leguminosae at the Cariri Environmental Protected Area, semiarid of the Paraíba State, Northeast Brazil. Thirty‑one species were found in the total, 22.6% of which accredited as endemic to the Caatinga. The most taxonomically diverse genus was Senna, with five species. Seven species were recorded for the first time to the Paraíba State (C. belemii var. belemii, D. violacea, I. blanchetiana, P. microphilla, V. halophila, Z. echinocarpa, and Z. myriadena). The shrubby habit was the most representative, with 45.2 % of the total of registered species, followed by herbaceous and tree habits, with 22.6 and 16.1 %, respectively. Vines and lianas totalized 9.7 and 6.5 % of the species, respectively. This treatment includes keys for separation into subfamilies and their species, a list of examined materials, data on geographic distribution, and illustrations.
Keywords:
Caatinga vegetation; Environmental Protection Area; Fabaceae; taxonomy
