Sapindaceae na Serra Negra, Minas Gerais, Brasil

Abstract

Serra Negra is part of the Mantiqueira mountain range within the Atlantic domain and is composed of a vegetation mosaic of campos rupestres and different forest types. It lies in the southern part of the Zona da Mata (21°58'24"S e 43°53'15"W, within the municipalities of Lima Duarte, Olaria, Rio Preto and Santa Bárbara do Monte Verde. The Sapindaceae family is represented in this area by five genera and 14 species: Allophylus semidentatus, Cupania ludowigii, C. vernalis, Matayba juglandifolia, M. marginata, Paullinia carpopoda, P. trigonia, Serjania deflexa, S. elegans, S. fuscifolia, S. laruotteana, S. laxiflora, S. multiflora and Serjania reticulata. Among these, S. laxiflora stands out as an endemic species of Minas Gerais. Allophylus semidentatus, C. vernalis, P. trigonia, S. fuscifolia, S. laruotteana and S. reticulata have wide geographic distributions. A taxonomic treatment of the family in this area is presented, including an identification key, morphological descriptions, illustrations, geographical distributions and commentary on each species.