Gesneriaceae of the Serra da Pedra Branca, Caldas, Minas Gerais State, Brazil

ABSTRACT The Serra da Pedra Branca (SPB) is located in the southern part of the of Minas Gerais State, in the municipality of Caldas (21°8’-21°55’S and 46°24’-46°22’W). Inserted in the Atlantic Domain and considered a priority area for the flora conservation in Minas Gerais, SPB is a remarkable component of the local landscape relief,, with elevations ranging from 1100 to 1780 m.s.m. State It presents a mosaic composed of high altitude fields (which occupies the largest extent), Montane Semi-deciduous Forest, Dense High-Montane Ombrophilous Forest, and Mixed Ombrophilous Forest. The family Gesneriaceae is represented in the SPB by five species of the genus Sinningia: S. aggregata (Ker Gawl.) Wiehler, S. allagophylla (Mart.) Wiehler, S. douglasii (Lindl) Chautems, S. magnifica (Otto & A .Dietr.) Wiehler), and S. striata (Fritsch) Chautems. An identification key, morphological descriptions, illustrations, ecological comments, and taxonomic and geographic distribution of the species are presented.