Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botanico do Rio de Janeiro
Doi
Abstract
The purpose of this catalogue was to combine the available data from
publications, theses, databases, and herbarium specimens from around 120 Herbaria, and colections sampled
in Brazilian vegetation during the last 15 years to produce the most complete list, as possible as, of Cyperaceae
species for Brazil. We catalogued ca. 1,700 names for 678 species in 42 genera occurring in Brazil. These
values represent ca. 15 percent of the species and 40 percent of the genera found in the world. Both subfamilies
of Cyperaceae are found in Brazil with Cyperoideae being the most diverse at both generic and specific levels.
Although lower species were recorded for the tribes Cryptangieae, Sclerieae, and Trilepideae, these tribes
represent a much higher percentage of the world’s totals for genera and species. The most diverse genera are
Rhynchospora (157 spp.), Cyperus (101 spp.), Scleria (82 spp.) and Eleocharis (69 spp.). Fifteen genera have
one species in Brazil, although five of them are monospecific. The most species-rich regions in Brazil are the
North and Southeast. There are no genera endemic to Brazil. There are, however, around 200 endemic species,
of which 40 are in the genus Rhynchospora. Taxonomic and nomenclatural problems found are pointed under
the species. For each catalogued species, the principal synonyms, bibliographic references, distribution
within Brazil’s five regions, vegetation type, and citation of selected material examined are provided