ABSTRACT
This paper describes the different uses of the plants found in the rural community, Gleba Aldeia Velha, located in the outskirts of the Poço das Antas Biological Reserve (Silva Jardim County, Rio de Janeiro). Selective interviewing was done with 19 different residents in order to obtain the data here presented. Of these intereviews, 549 different uses were cited of the 210 species, which are subordinate to 74 families. Asteraceae, Leguminosae, Lamiaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Myrtaceae and Poaceae were presented with the most frequency and richness. Medicinal plants, mainly cultivated, unite the majority of the species utilized (71.9%). The Shannon index (H') corresponds to 2.20 and indicates that the community is knowledgeable about the use of plant life. Selective removal, which is a factor in the reduction of native species in the lowland forests, such as ipê-tamanco (Tabebuia cassinoides) and pau-pereira (Picramnia ciliata), no longer exist today. The knowledge that the community has of the remaining forested areas of the region, along with traditional knowledge, constitute important instruments in the making of strategies for the conservation and sustained use of the genetic resources protected by the conservation areas and gives value to the communities nearby in the process.
Key words:
Atlantic Forest; ethnobotany; medicinal plants; rural communities; conservation areas