Sapotaceae is a family of woody plants. In Brazil, it comprises 11 genera and about 230 species, many of which are commercially exploited for timber and latex. The Coastal plain (Restinga), presents a variety of vegetation types and, occupies almost the entire length of the coast of Espírito Santo. This study sought to answer the following questions: 1. Which Sapotaceae species have become established in the coastal plain vegetation of Espirito Santo state? 2. Which are their preferred environments of occurrence? This study involved the collection and observation of specimens, as well as examination of collections deposited in herbaria. A total of 18 taxa belonging to five genera were identified: Pouteria Aubl. (9), Manilkara Adans. (4), Chrysophyllum L. (3), Micropholis (Griseb.) Pierre (1) and Sideroxylon L. (1). Taxon descriptions, identification key, character identification in the field, comments and illustrations are presented. Two species are cited for the first time for Espírito Santo and another one, known so far for tableland forests (Tabuleiro), is cited for the Restinga vegetation. Fruits of three species, unknown so far, are characterized and illustrated. The family is represented in seven different formations of Restinga. The coastal sand forest holds the largest number of taxa (17), followed by the open formations of Ericaceae (3) and post-beach formations (2). The North Coast have a higher number of taxa (15), followed by the South Central Coast (12) and South Coast (6).
flora of Brazil; Atlantic rainforest; floristics; Coastal plain vegetation; taxonomy
