ABSTRACT
(Checklist of the Flora of Mirandiba: Leguminosae) The Family Leguminosae is the most representative of the caatinga, comprizing about a third of the total number of species detected for that biome. Due to the importance of Leguminosae in caatinga, a floristic inventory was accomplished in the municipal district of Mirandiba-PE, a prioritary area for scientific investigation due to the lack of information on the flora and the fauna. Field trips were accomplished from March 2006 to January 2008 for collecting botanical material. Eighty one species distributed in 42 genera were registered, comprizing about 25% of the Leguminosae already registered for the biome. Seventeen of them are endemic to the caatinga, representing 25% of the total sampled species. The subfamily Caesalpinioideae is represented by 22 species distributed in 7 genera, Mimosoideae by 23 species distributed in 13 genera and Papilionoideae by 36 species distributed in 22 genera. The most representative genera were Senna (8 spp.), Mimosa (7 spp.), Chamaecrista (6 spp.), Macroptilium (4 spp.), Aeschynomene, Caesalpinia, Centrosema, Senegalia and Zornia (3 spp.), Bauhinia, Chloroleucon, Crotalaria, Desmodium, Dioclea, Indigofera, Piptadenia and Stylosanthes (2 spp.), the other ones with one species each.
Key words:
diversity; caatinga; endemism