Piptadenia (Leguminosae, Mimosoideae) in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The genus Piptadenia includes approximately 24 species that are distributed in the tropical regions of South America, with centers of diversity in the Amazon and Atlantic Forest in Brazil in which twenty-one species occur. A taxonomic study of Piptadenia was conducted in the state of Minas Gerais based on an analysis of approximately 270 specimens from 11 herbaria, field observations and field work in the main conservation units and other focal areas in Minas Gerais. These areas include the three vegetation domains in the state: Atlantic Forest, Cerrado and Caatinga. Six of the species in the genus were sampled: P. adiantoides, P. gonoacantha, P. macradenia, P. micracantha, P. paniculata and P. viridiflora. Two species that have previously been cited in the state were not found in this study: P. irwinii and P. stipulacea. These species were not found in the herbaria collections that were consulted or during the field work. We present an identification key for the Minas Gerais species of Piptadenia as well as descriptions, illustrations, geographical distributions, comments about the taxonomic characters and some information related to the flowering and fruiting periods.

Key words:
floristics; morphology; taxonomy; phytogeographic domains