Understory floristics of a semideciduous seasonal forest in the state of São Paulo

Resumo

Most works in forest communities include the composition and structure of the tree component, due to its economic importance, leaving the understory species to the background. Thus, the aim of this study was to conduct a floristic survey of understory species in the Águas da Prata State Reserve, São Paulo, and compare it with other studies in forests of the same physiognomy. Sampling occurred from December 2007 to May 2008, using the "walking” method. 44 taxa from 23 families where identified. The herbaceous plants were the most representative with 26 species (59%), the shrubs presented 14 species (31,9%) and the lianes, 4 species (9,1%). Asteraceae (29,54% = 13 spp.), Piperaceae (9,09% = 4 spp.), Commelinaceae (6,81% = 3 spp.) and Solanaceae (6,81% = 3 spp.) were the most representative families. This survey complements the biodiversity knowledge of the Águas da Prata State Reserve, an important natural remnant