Montane seasonal wetlands: an inventory of its associated flora in Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca, southeast Brazil

Abstract The aim of the present study was to perform the floristic survey of the wetlands of the Parque Estadual do Ibitipoca (PEIB), comparing them regarding richness, floristic composition and life forms, based on monthly expeditions to collect vascular plants. Eighty-one (81) species were found in the moist grassland, most of them being endemic to Brazil and included in 55 genera and 21 families. The most representative families were Asteraceae (22 spp.), Melastomataceae (nine spp.), Xyridaceae (seven spp.), Poaceae and Orchidaceae (six spp. each), totalizing 62% of the sampled species. Twenty-seven (27) species were found in the seasonal pond, distributed in 23 genera and 11 families. Families with the highest specific richness were Poaceae (eight spp.), Cyperaceae and Asteraceae (five spp. each), totalizing 67% of the sampled species. There was a predominance of hemicryptophyte life form (nearly 43% of the moist grasslands and 63% of the seasonal pond) in both areas. The floristic analysis results showed great importance to conservation with 22% of species under some threatened category, 12 species endemics to Minas Gerais state and one new species of Cyperaceae. Furthermore, only five species occur in both wetland types (5.1% of the species richness).