Winteraceae in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Winteraceae presents five genera, of which only Drimys occurring in the Neotropics. The taxonomy of the Brazilian species is still controversial, and depending on the author, one to three species is accepted. This paper presents the taxonomic study of Winteraceae in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and aims to elucidate the Winteraceae species for the region. Revision of national and international herbaria, and collections in several places of the state were made in order to gather data for the taxonomic treatment and the morphometrics analysis (ANOVA). Based on the morphometric analyses, phenological and morphological data, two species are accepted for Rio Grande do Sul:Drimys angustifolia and D. brasiliensis.We provide an identification key, descriptions, commentaries, phenology and illustrations for both taxa.