Flora do Ceará, Brasil: Lythraceae

Abstract

This study aimed to carry out a floristic-taxonomic survey and the distribution of representatives of Lythraceae’s family, as part of the project "Flora do Ceará: knowing to conserve". The work was based on morphological characters’ analysis of samples gathered in field expeditions, nacional and international herbaria collections and specialized bibliographies. In Ceará’s territory, Lythraceae is identified by 14 species belonging to four genera: Ammannia (2); Cuphea (8), Lafoensia (3) and Pleurophora (1). The species were recorded in different phytophysiognomies, but they occur preferentially in the Stepic Savanna (Caatinga and/or Carrasco), in the Dense Ombrophilous Forest (Mata Úmida) and in the Vegetation Complex of the Coastal Zone (Mata de Tabuleiro). The taxon with the highest number of records was Cuphea campestris, occurring in 26 municipalities. Seven species were recorded in ten Conservation Units in Ceará. Four species are endemic to the Northeast region: C. campestris, C. laricoides, C. loefgrenii and L. glyptocarpa. Identification key, morphological descriptions, comments about distribution, ecology, phenology and uses, maps and species illustrations are presented.