Abstract

SALES-RODRIGUES, Juliana; CASTELO-BRANCO BRASILEIRO, Juliana  and  MIRANDA DE MELO, José Iranildo. Flora of a inselberg in the mesorregion of the Paraiba State, Brazil. Polibotánica [online]. 2014, n.37, pp.47-61. ISSN 1405-2768.

Inselbergs are rocky outcrops, which correspond to pre-Cambrian mountains, usually monolithic, gneiss and granite that suddenly emerge from the plan around them. They occur mainly in tropical and temperate regions of the planet. These formations are frequent in the Northeastern region of Brazil, especially in the semiarid region usually presenting vegetation covering. Nevertheless, floristic studies focusing on these ecosystems are still scarce. This work consists in the floristic inventory of a rocky outcrop located in the municipality of Puxinanã, in the 'Agreste' Mesoregion of Paraíba state, Northeastern Brazil. Puxinanã is inserted into the Borborema Plateau, with a substantial and extensive group of rocky outcrops, usually exhibiting the 'Caatinga' vegetation. Samples were collected monthly between January/2010 and May/2010, and the specimens were processed according to the usual methods in floristic inventories. A total of 78 species were recorded, concentrated in 35 families, which are highlighted by the number of species: Fabaceae, with thirteen; Asteraceae, with eight; Rubiaceae, with seven; Euphorbiaceae, with four and Apocynaceae, with three species. The other families (30) were represented by one to two species each one. Taking into account the considerable number of species recorded in this study along with the advanced stage of anthropogenic interference suffered by the inselberg, it is appropriate to mention that studies on the biota of these rock formations focusing on different aspects of the flora and vegetation that they hold are still incipient.

Keywords : inselbergs; flora; rock outcrops; Caatinga vegetation; Brazil.

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