Diversity of arborescent lineages of Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest

We conducted fieldwork and herbarium research to investigate the morphological diversity, taxonomy, and geographic distribution of arborescent lineages of tribe Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae) in the Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest domain, a neotropical region considered one of the world’s hot spots of biodiversity. We found that arborescent lineages of Crotoneae are represented in the Atlantic Rain Forest by two genera (Croton and Brasiliocroton) and 23 species. Of this total, 70% of the species are endemic to the Atlantic Rain Forest. The genus Brasiliocroton, which is endemic to Brazil, includes two species, and Croton is represented by 21 species. We provide identification keys, update morphological description of key characters, include pertinent taxonomic comments, and illustrate most of the studied species with live photographs to facilitate taxonomic identification. The conservation status of each species is also evaluated. We establish five new synonyms, one superfluous name, and nine lectotypifications.Financial support was provided to MBR Caruzo (process 441049/2014-1) by “Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico” (CNPq).Peer Reviewe

Growing knowledge: an overview of Seed Plant diversity in Brazil

Abstract An updated inventory of Brazilian seed plants is presented and offers important insights into the country's biodiversity. This work started in 2010, with the publication of the Plants and Fungi Catalogue, and has been updated since by more than 430 specialists working online. Brazil is home to 32,086 native Angiosperms and 23 native Gymnosperms, showing an increase of 3% in its species richness in relation to 2010. The Amazon Rainforest is the richest Brazilian biome for Gymnosperms, while the Atlantic Rainforest is the richest one for Angiosperms. There was a considerable increment in the number of species and endemism rates for biomes, except for the Amazon that showed a decrease of 2.5% of recorded endemics. However, well over half of Brazillian seed plant species (57.4%) is endemic to this territory. The proportion of life-forms varies among different biomes: trees are more expressive in the Amazon and Atlantic Rainforest biomes while herbs predominate in the Pampa, and lianas are more expressive in the Amazon, Atlantic Rainforest, and Pantanal. This compilation serves not only to quantify Brazilian biodiversity, but also to highlight areas where there information is lacking and to provide a framework for the challenge faced in conserving Brazil's unique and diverse flora