Bromeliaceae Juss. in a Fragment of Atlantic Rainforest in Bahia’s North Cost, Brazil

ABSTRACT

Bromeliaceae is one of the major families in tropical environments, such as the Atlantic Forest, where these plants establish numerous interactions and significantly broaden ecological relationships. Brazil harbors the highest number of bromeliad species worldwide, yet there are still undersampled areas with limited information about the family, such as the northern coast of Bahia. Thus, through field expeditions and botanical specimen collection, the present study aimed to survey the occurring species of the family in a fragment of Atlantic Forest in the municipality of Alagoinhas/Bahia, in order to compile a checklist of bromeliads. Nine species were found in an area of approximately 150 ha, belonging to two subfamilies: Bromelioideae (six species) in different substrates and Tillandsioideae (three species) exclusively epiphytic. 22% of the species occurring in the area are endemic, and the vast majority are widely distributed in the phytogeographic domains of Brazil.

Keywords:
Herbs; floristic; monocotyledon; ombrophilous rainforest; taxonomy