New Records of Pteridophytes in the Semi-Arid Region of Brazil

3 Pages·2001·1.8 MB·English

by  Sandra T Ambrósio

American
Fern
Journal 91(4):227-229
(2001)
Shorter Notes
New
Records
of Pteridophytes in the Semi- Arid Region of BraziL- In
Brazil,
70%
of the Northeast region, including the northern portion
of the of
state
Minas
Gerais, covered hy semi-arid The
is vegetation. state of Pernambiico,
for
example,
has a total area of 98,079 km^, of which 60,000 km^ covered by
is
typical caatinga vegetation (Egler, Rev. Bras. Geog.l3: 65-78. 1951; Sampaio,
35 Dry
pp.
Since water
deficiency appears be key
to the factor in limiting the occur-
rence of pteridophytes in seasonally dry tropical areas, there are relatively few
known
species of pteridophytes from semi-arid regions or caatinga vegetation.
Nevertheless, a few species of pteridophytes well adapted
are survival
to in
such areas (Kornas, pp. 391-395 in Dyer and Page, Biology of Pteridophytes,
For Tryon Gray
1985). Peru, (Cont. Herb. 194:1-253. 1964), records 176 native
species of pteridophytes across four vegetation types, including the xeric
Si-
erra Steppe and Scrub vegetation. Also many members of the Pteridaceae,
Tri-
be Cheilantheae, have been found and
in the xeric semixeric regions of central
Mexico
^/'
pteridophytes in the dry environments of Africa (Kornas, Acta Soc, Poloniae
46:669-690. 1977), and in Australia the genus Cheilanthes noted
is for
its
(Quirk
12:121 Barros 159. 1989) have
documented
nine species of pteridophytes in the caatinga vegetation of Per-
nambuco.
The
paper enumerate
goal of the pteridophytes occur
this to that in the
is
Pernambuco, document new
semi-arid region of the State of Brazil, three
re-
and add
cords, information about the habitat preferences of these plants.
Pteridophytes were collected in Petrolina 40'^22'W), which
(90^'09'S,
is sit-
uated in the semi-arid region of Pernambuco, northeastern Brazil. This area
is
m
known
located at an altitude of 365 in a region as the Sertaneja Depression.
The climate characterized by extended dry periods alternating with ephem-
is
The BSwh,
eral rains. region corresponds to type of Koppen's system (Embra-
pa, 1993. Zoneamento Agroecologico do Nordeste) and the annual rainfall
is
mm.
510 The vegetation xerophytic, with Bromeliaceae and Cactaceae being
is
especially representative (Egler, Rev. Bras. Geog. 13:65-78. 1951)
Species identifications were carried out using Alston et aL (Bull. Brit. Mus.
Nat Mus. Nat
Hist. 9:233-330. 1981), Proctor (Bull. Brit. Hist. 7:3-5. 1985),
New
Mickel & (Mem. York Garden 46:1-568. and Tryon &
Beitel Bot. 1988),
Voucher specimens deposited
Stolze (Fieldiana Bot. 29:1-80. 1992). are in
TSAH,
the herbarium of the Tropical Semi-Arid Agricultural Research Cen-
—
Embrapa
ter
(Brazil).
TSAH
&
Acrosticlium danaeifolium Langsd. Fisch. [Ambrosio 55, 1728
AMERICAN FERN VOLUME NUMBER
228 JOURNAL:
91 4
(2001J
(Willd
Marsilea
quadrifolia
time
first in the Brazilian semi-arid region. Thelypteris interrupta and A. dan-
common
were found humid
aeifolium be
to in soils of the caatinga, near
irri-
gation channels. These species probably colonized the region naturally with
the advent of modified habitats niches became
as available for their survival.
Tryon Gray
(Cont. Herb.l94:l-253.1964) observed
in Peru, non-native
that,
have become
species naturalized along channels
irrigation or in areas that
become more
mesic
as a result of their presence. Marsilea quadrifolia occurs
in aquatic environments, such and
as rivers streams and, according Allsopp
to
members
(Nature 169:79-80.1952), of the genus are probably able survive
to
drought conditions due
to their desiccation resistant sporocarps. Kornas
[in
Dyer and
Page, Biology Pteridophytes, 1985) comments upon
of also the oc-
currence pteridophytes where
of in areas the climate extremely
is dry, as in
deserts or sub-desert regions of tropical Africa. Thelypteris and Marsilea
are
among
the genera have been found
that
there.
Anemia
TSAH
tomentosa
(Sav.) Sw. var. tomentosa [Ambrosio
54, 1724],
Pityrogramma TSAH
calomelanos
Link. calomelanos [Ambrosio
(L.) var. 51,
TSAH
1725], Selaginella convoluta Spring [Ambrosio
(Arn.)
53, 1722],
S. sel-
TSAH
lowi Hieron. [Ambrosio and
s.n., 1726], Azolla microphylla Kaulf [Am-
TSAH
brosio 1727 & were
61, 1730] also collected from These
Petrolina. spe-
have
cies previously been reported from other semi-arid regions of Brazil (Bar-
ros e^ al, Biol. Bras. 1:143-159.1989).
In their survey, Barros
floristic also
et al.
Anemia
Humb.
reported & Ex Anemia
villosa Bonpl.
Willd.,
oblongifolia (Cav.)
Sw., Hemionitis tomentosa (Lam.) Raddi., Polypodium polypodioides
(L.)
and
Watt., hirsnfi'i'iimiim Radrli aq nart of tVio Trooota+inTi nf tVio r-oot;T^no
P.
semi
Morelo
108. 1954). This reviviscent species has physiological
characters that confer
remain
unfolding each time they moistened
are (Rawistscher al, An. Acad.
et Bras.
Cien. 287-301. Although uncommon
21: 1952). pteridophytes
are in xeric en-
when
vironments, especially compared more
to areas with mesic edafoclimatic
conditions (Ambrosio and
Acta
Barros, Bot. Bras. 11:105-113. they
1997), are
becoming
increasingly documented and
studied (Kornas, Acta Soc. Poloniae
46:669-690. and
1977, other The new
references above). three records
dis-
cussed above intended show
are
to that the distribution of pteridophytes
in
undocumented
grateful
Center—Embrapa
Petrolina—PE
for the use of premises and equipment.
/
its
Minas
Maia
CNPq
manuscript, and
(Conselho Nacional de
— Desenvolvimento
Cientifico
e
Tecnologico) Sandra
for financial support.
Ambrosio,
T. Center Biolog-
for
ical Sciences, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife—PE, and Natoniel
F.
De MeLO. D^^^^^U
Center
for Riolnairal .9ripnrp.Q Farloral
TTr.,\rQT.oU,r r^f
SHORTER NOTES
229
—
Recife—PE and
Tropical Semi-Arid
Agricultural Research Center Embrapa,
—
Petrolina PE.
The
and
Typification, Identity, Distribution of Cyathea mamillata Fee -The
publication of mamillata by Fee
C. [Crypt. Vase. Bres. 1:176» 1869)
63,
2.
t. f.
based on specimen
is a attributed to Galeotti: "Habitat in Serra-Carassa Bras-
Morton
iliae [Galeotti, no. 247). [H.R]/' [Amer. Fern 62-63. pointed
61: 1971]
J.
out numbers
that Galeotti collected 8,000 herbarium specimens
ca. of in five
years, mostly in Mexico, plus a few in Cuba, and unlike most
that, early col-
many
he and them
lectors, collected duplicates sold widely. Although
Galeotti
is often cited as the collector of plants from Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia,
in fact, he never travelled in South America; he was merely the distributor of
the plants attributed him from Wurdack (Taxon 19:911-913.
to there. 1970)
has noted false data provided by Galeotti on specimens he distributed from
Mem. own
Brazil. See also Glaziou (Soc. Bot. France 3:1-7. 1905) for his ac-
count
of the Brazilian collections that he attributed to himself.
when
was
After 1853, Galeotti appointed as Director of the Jardin Botanique
many
de Bruxelles, specimens collected by Linden, Funck, Schlim, Ghies-
We
breght, Lindig, and Clausscn were mislabelled and distributed by
Galeotti.
have found that the label on the type specimen cited by Fee not seen]
(P, is
An
in error as to the identity of the collector. isotype of C. mamillata plainly
is
labelled Claussen 247 (BR), Probably, the label of C. mammilata was changed
when
by specimen was
Galeotti a sent to Paris.
American
Tryon, in a paper about the tree ferns allied to Sphaeropteris hor-
rida (Rhodora 73: 17. 1971), synonymized C, mamillata Fee as a synonym of
name
S. gardneri (Hook.) R. M. Tryon, but he did not correct the of the col-
We
lector. confirm Tryon's identification, based on our examination of the iso-
type. This species endemic to southern Brazil and can be found in the states
is
of Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Santa Catarina. occurs from
It
m
250 and shaded The main
to 1300 elevation, along rivers in places. features
m
to recognize gardneri small leaves long), concolorous palea-
S. are: [ca. 1
ceous scales on the stipe base, simple or branched hairs on the costules abax-
and few on abaxial surface of the segments.
ially, rarely a flattish scales
we
examined
In addition to the isotype of C. mamillata, the following spec-
imens from southeastern Minas Gerais: Barbacena, Glaziou 11710 [BR,
Brazil:
Ouro Hoebne
NY, P not same Pohl sm, (BR, P not seen); Fino,
seen); locality,
SM, [SP 19594); Ouro Preto, Macedo 2885 (SP); Vila Rica, Pohl 3767 [BR);
Caldas, Mosen 2033 (BR, P not seen). Rio de Janeiro: Petropolis, Spannagel
434 (NY); Nova Friburgo, Glaziou 7329 (NY, P not seen); Tijuca, Glaziou 1707
Sao Brade 5378 Osasco, Luederwaldt Herb.
(BR). Paulo: Santana, (NY); s.n., ex.
Museu
Paulista no. 6624 [SP 634).
We
comments
and
are grateful to David B. Lellinger for detailed constructive
on and Paulo Labiak, de Bo-
the manuscript. ^Jefferson Pr.\do H. Instituto
R
01061-970 Sao Paulo
4005,
tanica, Segao de Briologia e Pteridologia, C.
SP,
Brazil.