Orchidaceae na Serra do Ouro Branco, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

The Serra do Ouro Branco delimitates the southern geographical boundary of the Espinhaço Range, in the state of Minas Gerais, and is located in a transition zone between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado domains. This paper presents the floristic survey of the Orchidaceae from Serra do Ouro Branco, municipality of Ouro Branco, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We recorded 36 genera and 75 species in the study area. The most representative genera were Habenaria (17 spp.), Cleistes (7 spp.), Acianthera and Epidendrum (6 spp. each). Such elevated richness in a relatively small area, highlights the floristic significance of Orchidaceae and the environmental relevance of the study area. Identification keys, morphological descriptions, schematic illustrations of the perianth, and comments of the genera and species are presented.