Abstract:

Specimens of phanerogamic plants from the Catimbau National Park, located in northeastern Brazil, were collected during extensive fieldwork and analyzed together with information gathered from the specialized literature. A total of 613 species was recorded, belonging to 366 genera and 85 families. The largest families were Fabaceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Apocynaceae, Malpighiaceae, and Cyperaceae, comprising almost 60% of the species. The level of endemism found was below that projected in the literature, as only four known species are unique to the study area. The area is, however, home to a varied flora with high richness and numerous rare or threatened species, demonstrating the importance of the National Park for conserving the regional flora. Additionally, 34 new registrations are reported here for Pernambuco State.

Keywords:
Conservation; diversity; flora; Northeastern Brazil

Resumo:

Espécimes de plantas fanerogâmicas do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, localizado no nordeste do Brasil, foram coletados durante um extenso trabalho de campo e analisados em conjunto com informações obtidas da literatura especializada. Foi registrado um total de 613 espécies pertencentes a 366 gêneros e 85 famílias. As maiores famílias foram: Fabaceae, Poaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Asteraceae, Convolvulaceae, Malvaceae, Myrtaceae, Apocynaceae, Malpighiaceae e Cyperaceae, compreendendo quase 60% das espécies. O nível de endemismo encontrado foi abaixo do projetado na literatura, pois apenas quatro espécies conhecidas são exclusivas da área de estudo. A área é, no entanto, o lar de uma flora variada com alta riqueza e numerosas espécies raras ou ameaçadas, demonstrando a importância do Parque Nacional para a conservação da flora regional. Além disso, 34 novos registros são reportados aqui para o estado de Pernambuco.

Palavras-chave:
Conservação; diversidade; flora; Nordeste do Brasil

Introduction

The Catimbau National Park (CNP) is considered to be an area of extreme biological importance in the Brazilian Northeast as it has high numbers of endemic and rare species associated with a diverse flora and various phytophysiognomies, justifying its high conservation priority (MMA 2002MMA - Ministério do Meio Ambiente, dos Recursos Hídricos e da Amazônia Legal. 2002. Avaliação e ações prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade da Caatinga. Brasília, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Conservation Internacional do Brasil e Fundação O Boticário.). One of the most important aspects of the park is its mosaic of vegetation, which includes rocky savanna ("campo rupestre"), upland forests ("brejos de altitude"), evergreen subshrub vegetation, neotropical savanna (Cerrado), dryland Caatinga, and vegetation refuges. The diversity and floristic richness associated with those different vegetation types are related to its geomorphology and a paleoclimate that strongly influenced the area (Ab'saber 1974AB'SABER, Α.Ν. 1974. O domínio morfoclimático semiárido das caatingas brasileiras. Geomorfologia 43: 1-39.). Caatinga dryland vegetation is the most representative phytophysiognomy in the region (Rodal et al. 1998RODAL, M.J.N., ANDRADE, Κ.V.S., SALES, M.F. & GOMES, A.P.S. 1998. Fitossociologia do componente lenhoso de um refugio vegetacional no município de Buique, Pernambuco. Rev. Bras. Biol. 58 (3): 517-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71081998000300017
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71081998... , Sales et al. 1998SALES, M.F., MAYO, S.J. & RODAL, S.J. 1998. Plantas vasculares das florestas serranas de Pernambuco: um checklist da flora ameaçada dos Brejos de Altitude Pernambuco, Brasil. Recife, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 130 pp.).

The Caatinga is a unique Brazilian ecosystem growing in a semiarid climate with high solar radiation and evapotranspiration levels, determining a deciduous thorny vegetation that varies from shrubby and open, to closed forests (Sampaio 1995SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. 1995. Overview of the Brazilian caatinga. In Seasonally Tropical Dry Forests (S.H. Bullock, H.A. Mooney & E. Medina, eds). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge., Pennington et al. 2009PENNINGTON, R.T., LAVIN, M. & OLIVEIRA-FILHO, A. 2009. Woody Plant Diversity, Evolution, and Ecology in the Tropics: Perspectives from Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests. Ann. Rev. Ecol., Evol., Syst. 40: 437-457. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.110308.120327
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.... ). The caatinga in Northeastern Brazil is one of twelve disjunct groups of Neotropical dry forests (DRYFLOR 2016DRYFLOR. 2016. Plant diversity patterns in neotropical dry forests and their conservation implications. Science 353 (6306): 1383-1387. 10.1126/science.aaf5080
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf5080... ). The dry forests of the caatinga, together with those of central Brazil, have strong floristic affinities and share almost 700 species (DRYFLOR 2016DRYFLOR. 2016. Plant diversity patterns in neotropical dry forests and their conservation implications. Science 353 (6306): 1383-1387. 10.1126/science.aaf5080
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf5080... ). Although the Caatinga is the only exclusive Brazilian domain, with an unparalleled biological heritage, it is considered the least known vegetation form in the country and has not yet had its importance fully recognized by the government (Maciel 2010MACIEL, B.A. 2010. Unidades de conservação no Bioma Caatinga. Uso Sustentável e Conservação dos Recursos Florestais da Caatinga. Brasília: Serviço Florestal Brasileiro, p. 76-81.).

Due to the high human population density in the region, the floristic diversity there is highly influenced by anthropogenic pressures. The loss of plant diversity is a real and alarming threat that has intensified mainly due to the impacts of human activities on the natural habitat, climate change, and the intense exploitation of natural resources, pollution, and the voluntary or involuntary introduction of exotic species (Lobo et al. 2011LOBO, D., LEÃO, T., MELO, F.P.L., SANTOS, A.M.M. & TABARELLI, M. 2011. Forest fragmentation drives Atlantic forest of northeastern Brazil to biotic homogenization. Divers. Distrib. 17: 287-296. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00739.x
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010... ). The discharacterization of the original vegetation has led to habitat fragmentation in Pernambuco, leaving natural vegetation remnants interspersed among plantations and cities. No other Brazilian biome has been as neglected as the caatinga, which can be seen in its low numbers of conservation areas. Conservation Areas (CAs) have been established to ensure the preservation of the biological diversity of Brazil (Leão et al. 2011), with a total of 328 CAs being found in northeastern region of the country, of which 123 are established in the Caatinga biome. Pernambuco has 78 state level CAs, but only four areas (Vale do CNP, Serra Negra, Negreiros, and Chapada do Araripe) under federal responsibility (CPRH 2014CPRH - Companhia Pernambucana do Meio Ambiente. 2014. Refúgio de Vida Silvestre Tatu-Bola. Recife: CPRH, 80 pp.). Only six of the state CAs protect caatinga sites.

Various studies of the flora and vegetation of the CNP have been developed with taxonomic (e.g., Sales et al. 1998SALES, M.F., MAYO, S.J. & RODAL, S.J. 1998. Plantas vasculares das florestas serranas de Pernambuco: um checklist da flora ameaçada dos Brejos de Altitude Pernambuco, Brasil. Recife, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 130 pp., Santos et al. 2013SANTOS, L.L., SANTOS, L.L., ALVES, A.S.A., OLIVEIRA, L.S.D. & SALES, M.F. 2013. Bignoniaceae Juss. no Parque Nacional Vale do Catimbau, Pernambuco. Rodriguésia 64 (3): 479-494. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602013000300003
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602013... , Melo 2012MELO, J.I.M. 2012. Flora do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brasil: Boraginaceae sensu lato. Biotemas 25 (4): 109-120. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2012v25n4p109
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2012v2... , Delgado-Júnior et al. 2014DELGADO-JÚNIOR, G.C., BURIL, M.T. & ALVES, M. 2014. Convolvulaceae do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brasil. Rodriguésia 65 (2): 425-442. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602014000200008
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602014... , Ferreira et al. 2015FERREIRA, J.V.A., FABRICANTE, J.R. & SIQUEIRA-FILHO, J.A. 2015. Checklist preliminar de Bromeliaceae do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brasil. Natureza on line 13 (2): 92-97., Vasconcelos & Melo 2016VASCONCELOS, G.C.L.D. & MELO, J.I.M.D. 2016. Flora of the Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco State, Brazil: Loranthaceae. Hoehnea 43 (2): 317-323. 10.5007/2175-7925.2012v25n4p109.
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2012v2... , Costa & Melo 2017COSTA, E.C.S. & MELO, J.I.M. 2017. Passifloraceae Juss. ex Roussel do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brasil. Rev. Nord. Biol. 24 (2): 13-22. https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.2236-1480.2016v24n2.18422
https://doi.org/10.22478/ufpb.2236-1480.... , Delgado-Júnior & Alves 2017DELGADO-JUNIOR, G.C. & ALVES, M. 2017. Diversity of climbing plants in Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brazil. Rodriguésia 68 (2): 347-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201768206
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020176... ), floristic, or phytosociological focuses (e.g., Andrade et al. 2004ANDRADE, K.V.S.A., RODAL, M.J.N., LUCENA, M.F.A. & GOMES, A.P.S. 2004. Composição florística de um trecho do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Buíque, Pernambuco - Brasil. Hoehnea 31: 337-348. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062009000300015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062009... , Serafim-Filho 2014SERAFIM-FILHO, G.L. 2014. Composição florística e fitossociologia de duas áreas de caatinga no Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Buíque, Pernambuco, Brasil. PhD dissertation, Recife, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco.).

National Parks with touristic vocations, such as the CNP, require detailed floristic inventories for planning aimed at the conservation and rational use of their natural resources. In that context, the present work sought to provide a species list of the Angiosperms found in the CNP as a way of guiding its sustainable utilization.

Material and Methods

The present study was conducted in the Catimbau National Park (created in 2002), situated in the Ipanema Valley in the central region of Pernambuco State (Northeastern Brazil) (8°24'00" to 8º36'35"S and 37º09'30" to 37º14'40"W) (DOU 2002DOU - Diário Oficial da União. 2002. Decreto 913/12 de 13 de dezembro de 2002. N. 242. 16 de dezembro de 2002, 13-14.). The Park covers 62,300 ha and includes parts of the municipalities of Buíque, Ibimirim, and Tupanatinga (MMA 2002MMA - Ministério do Meio Ambiente, dos Recursos Hídricos e da Amazônia Legal. 2002. Avaliação e ações prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade da Caatinga. Brasília, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Conservation Internacional do Brasil e Fundação O Boticário.; Sampaio et al. 2002SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. 2002. Uso das plantas da caatinga. In Vegetação e flora das caatingas (E.V.S.B. Sampaio, A.M. Giulietti, J.Virgínio & C.F.L. Gamarra-Rojas, eds) APNE/CNIP, Recife, p. 49-90.) (Figure 1). It is geologically part of the Jatobá sedimentary basin, and is characterized topographically by low mountainous elevations (800 to 1000 m a.s.l.) and by open valleys with abrupt slopes (Rodal et al. 1998RODAL, M.J.N., ANDRADE, Κ.V.S., SALES, M.F. & GOMES, A.P.S. 1998. Fitossociologia do componente lenhoso de um refugio vegetacional no município de Buique, Pernambuco. Rev. Bras. Biol. 58 (3): 517-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71081998000300017
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71081998... , SIGEP 2010SIGEP - Comissão Brasileira de Sítios Geológicos e Paleobiológicos. 2010. http://www.unb.br/ig/sigep. (last access 20 October 2017).
http://www.unb.br/ig/sigep... ). The predominant climate in the region is type BShs' with an average annual rainfall is approximately 1,100 mm and a rainy season between January and June (Alvares et al. 2014ALVARES, C.A., STAPE, J.L., SENTELHAS, P.C., GONÇALVES J.L.M. & SPAROVEK, G. 2014. Köppen's climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorol. Z. 22 (6): 711-728.). The vegetation there is typical of Caatinga, but also shows influences of other Brazilian ecosystems (Atlantic rainforest and Cerrado), with physiognomies such as dense arboreal Caatinga and shrubby spineless vegetation growing on deep sandy soils with sandstone rock outcrops (Sales et al. 1998SALES, M.F., MAYO, S.J. & RODAL, S.J. 1998. Plantas vasculares das florestas serranas de Pernambuco: um checklist da flora ameaçada dos Brejos de Altitude Pernambuco, Brasil. Recife, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 130 pp., IBAMA 2009IBAMA. 2009. Parque Nacional do Catimbau. http://www.ibama.gov.br/siucweb/mostraUc,php?seqUc=1438. (last access 20 March 2018).
http://www.ibama.gov.br/siucweb/mostraUc... ).

Data from specimen collections were compiled using the specialized literature focusing on the flora of the CNP (or part of it), and on some of the municipalities included in the Park, such as Buíque. Additional data was obtained from extensive collections carried out by a team led by Dr. Margareth Sales since the turn of the recent century, and others funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) - "Diversidade e Conservação do Parque Nacional do Vale do Catimbau, Buíque, Pernambuco" with periodic collections between September/2011 and August/2014 during the plants' reproductive phases. The collection material was pressed and dried following Mori et al. (1989)MORI, A.S., SILVA, L.A.M., LISBOA, G. & CORADIN, L. 1989. Manual de manejo do herbário fanerogâmico. Ilhéus, Centro de Pesquisa do Cacau., and incorporated into the "Professor Vasconcelos Sobrinho" Herbarium (PEUFR) at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE). In addition to the specimens deposited in the herbarium, specimens belonging to other Pernambuco herbarium collections, such as HST, HVASF, IPA, and UFP (acronyms according to Thiers 2018THIERS, B. 2018 [continuously updated] Index herbariorum: a global directory of public herbaria and associated staff. http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHerbariorum.asp. (last access 04 June 2018).
http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHer... ) were consulted. The species were identified by comparisons with collections, by using identification keys and the specialized literature (e.g. Queiroz 2006, Laurênio & Sales 2008, Silva et al. 2009SILVA, J.S., SALES, M.F. & CARNEIRO-TORRES, D.S. 2009. O gênero Croton (Euphorbiaceae) na microrregião do Vale do Ipanema, Pernambuco, Brasil. Rodriguésia 60 (4): 879-901. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860200960409
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020096... , Delgado-Júnior et al. 2017DELGADO-JÚNIOR, G.C., BURIL, M.T. & ALVES, M. 2014. Convolvulaceae do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brasil. Rodriguésia 65 (2): 425-442. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602014000200008
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602014... , Delgado-Júnior & Alves 2017DELGADO-JUNIOR, G.C. & ALVES, M. 2017. Diversity of climbing plants in Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brazil. Rodriguésia 68 (2): 347-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201768206
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020176... ) and, when necessary, by consultations with specialists. The floristic list is based on the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group APG IV (2016)APG IV (2016) An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny group classification for the orders and families of families flowering plants: APG IV. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 181: 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009.00996.x
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2009... classification system, with exception of Turneraceae (= Passifloraceae). The present study is registered in the National System of Genetic Resource Management and Associated Traditional Knowledge (SisGen) under number AE11C7F.

The new records detected in the state of Pernambuco were indicated in the table (Tab. 1) with asterisks (*).

Results

This work provides an inventory of angiosperms in the CNP and includes 613 species belonging to 85 families (Table 1). The highest percentage (78.9%) of families of flowering plants were in the clade of eudicots, followed by monocotyledons (17.6%), and magnolids (3.5%) (Figures 2 to 5). The most species rich families were: Fabaceae (109 spp.), Poaceae (49 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (40 spp.), Asteraceae (36 spp.), Convolvulaceae (35 spp.), Malvaceae (22 spp.), Myrtaceae (19 spp.), Apocynaceae (19 spp.), Malpighiaceae (18 spp.), and Cyperaceae (18 spp.) (Figure 6). The ten richest families represented almost 60% of the total species identified in the study area. Cactaceae and Bromeliaceae, traditionally associated with the caatinga phytophysiognomy, are well-represented in the region, with 10 and 12 species respectively. Twenty-seven families were represented by only one species (Aizoaceae, Alstroemeriaceae, Arecaceae, Asparagaceae, Balanophoraceae, Brassicaceae, Burseraceae, Hydroleaceae, Krameriaceae, Lentibulariaceae, Loasaceae, Marantaceae, Molluginaceae, Moraceae, Ochnaceae, Olacaceae, Phyllanthaceae, Phytolaccaceae, Piperaceae, Plumbaginaceae, Salicaceae, Santalaceae, Schoepfiaceae, Simaroubaceae, Trigoniaceae, Urticaceae, and Velloziaceae).

Of the 366 genera of Angiosperms registered for the CNP, fifteen (4.1%) showed high numbers of species: Croton L. (18 spp.), Ipomoea L. (18 spp.), Chamaecrista Moench (16 spp.), Mimosa L. (14 spp.), Senna Mill. (10 spp.), Cyperus L. (10 spp.), Jacquemontia Choisy (7 spp.), Erythroxylum P. Browne (7 spp.), Polygala L. (7 spp.), Sida L. (7 spp.), Tillandsia L. (6 spp.), Evolvulus L. (6 spp.), Dioscorea L. (6 spp.), Eugenia L. (5 spp.), and Myrcia DC. (5 spp.) (Table 1).

The most representative habitat in the study area was herbaceous, represented by 202 species (33% of the total), followed by shrubs with 99 species (16.1%), and vines/climbers with 95 species (15.5%) (Fig. 7). As such, the flora of the area was predominantly herbaceous-shrub (49%), with a very prominent presence of vines/climbers (15.6%) (Figure 7). The families Poaceae, Asteraceae, Cyperaceae, Bromeliaceae, and Fabaceae stood out in terms of their herbaceous species, with Poaceae and Asteraceae representing 7.5% and 3.1% of all of the species recorded. The families that stood out in terms of the numbers of shrub representatives were Fabaceae (26 species) and Euphorbiaceae (17 species).

Among vines/climbers, the most diverse families were Convolvulaceae (25 spp.), Fabaceae (12 spp.), Malpighiaceae (11 spp.), Apocynaceae (10 spp.), Bignoniaceae (7 spp.), and Dioscoreaceae and Sapindaceae (6 species each).

Among the 613 species listed for the CNP, 34 are new records for Pernambuco State (see table 1). Some of the species found in the CNP occur in most Brazilian states (e.g., Alternanthera brasiliana (L.) Kuntze, Anacardium occidentale L., Asclepias curassavica L., Chamaecrista flexuosa (L.) Greene, Bidens pilosa L., Commelina erecta L., Croton glandulosus L., Emilia fosbergii Nicolson, Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth, and Lantana camara L.). On the other hand, four are endemic to the CNP (Acritopappus buiquensis D.J.N. Hind & Bautista, Dyckia limae L.B. Sm., Mandevilla catimbauensis Souza-Silva, Rapini & J.F. Morales, and Tillandsia catimbauensis Leme, W. Till & J.A. Siqueira). The majority of species listed for the Park are native to Brazil, although (Agave sisalana Perrine, Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp., Calotropis procera (Ait.) Ait. f., Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai, Cucumis anguria L., Euphorbia tirucalli L., Megathyrsus maximum (Jacq.) B.K. Simon & S.W.L. Jacobs, Melinis repens (Willd.) Zizka, Momordica charantia L.) are exotic (BFG 2015BFG. 2015. Growing knowledge: an overview of seed plant diversity in Brazil. Rodriguésia 66: 2-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201566411
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020156... ). Among the species recorded for the Park (87 spp.), many show restricted geographical distributions, occurring only in the Caatinga domain [e.g., Acritopappus buiquensis, Alstroemeria longistaminea Mart. ex Schult. & Schult f., Apodanthera congestiflora Cogn., A. glaziovii Cogn., Chresta pacourinoides (Mart. ex DC.) C.M. Siniscalchi & B. Loeuille, Cnidoscolus quercifolius Pohl ex Baill., Crotalaria bahiensis Windler & S.G. Skinner, Cuspidaria argentea (Wawra) Sandwith, Dioclea grandiflora Mart. ex Benth., Dyckia limae L.B. Sm., Encholirium spectabile Mart. ex Schult. f., Fridericia limae (A.H. Gentry) L.G. Lohmann, Harpochilus neesianus Mart., Ipomoea marcellia Meissn., I. pintoi O'Donell, Jacaranda rugosa A. Gentry, Mandevilla catimbauensis, Mansoa paganuccii M.M. Silva-Castro, Paralychnophora reflexoauriculata (G.M. Barroso) MacLeish, Pilosocereus pachycladus F. Ritter, Piptadenia stipulacea (Benth.) Ducke, Ruellia asperula (Nees) Lindau, R. bahiensis (Nees) Morong, Senna rizzinni H.S. Irwin & Barneby, Stillingia trapezoidea Ule, Tillandsia catimbauensis, Trichogonia heringeri R.M. King & H. Rob., Thyrsacanthus ramosissimus Lindau and Varronia dardani (Taroda) J.S. Mill.) (Tölke et al. 2011TÖLKE, E.E.A.D., SILVA, J.B., PEREIRA, A.R.L. & MELO, J.I.M. 2011. Flora vascular de um inselbergue no estado da Paraíba, Nordeste do Brasil. Biotemas 24 (4): 39-48. https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2011v24n4p39
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2011v2... , Giulietti et al. 2002GIULIETTI, A.M., HARLEY, R.M., QUEIROZ, L.P., BARBOSA, M.R.V., BOCAGE-NETA, A.L. & FIGUEIREDO, Μ.Α. 2002. Espécies endêmicas da caatinga. In Vegetação e flora da caatinga (E.V.S.B. Sampaio, A.M. Giulietti, J. Virginio & C.F.L. Gamarra-Rojas, eds). APNE/CNIP, Recife, p. 103-118., Flora do Brasil 2020 (2018)FLORA DO BRASIL 2020. 2018. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/. (last access 15 March 2018).
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/... ]. The remaining 527 species occur in more than one Brazilian domain, with 70 occurring in both caatinga and Cerrado [e.g., Allamanda blanchetii A. DC., Allophylus quercifolius (Mart.) Radlk., Aspilia martii Baker, Chamaecrista swainsonii (Benth.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, Chrysanthellum indicum DC., Ditassa capillaris E.Fourn., Froelichia humboldtiana Roem. & Schult., Ipomoea brasiliana (Choisy) Meissn., Manilkara rufula (Miq.) H.J. Lam., Mimosa ursina Mart., Schinopsis brasiliensis Engl., Tradescantia ambigua Mart.]; 35 are found exclusively in the Caatinga and the Atlantic rainforest [e.g., Croton pedicellatus Kunth, Ditassa oxyphylla Turcz., Eleocharis flavescens (Poir.) Urb., Heliotropium angiospermum Murray, Ichnanthus glaber (Raddi.) Hitchc., Macroptilium martii (Benth.) Maréchal & Baudet, Monteverdia rigida (Mart.) Biral, Varronia globosa Jacq.].

Discussion

An inventory of Brazilian seed plants (BFG 2015BFG. 2015. Growing knowledge: an overview of seed plant diversity in Brazil. Rodriguésia 66: 2-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201566411
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020156... ) listed 32,086 Angiosperms species, with 3,133 species in Pernambuco State, including 69 endemic species (2.2% of the total number of species). The Caatinga has been ranked as the biome with the fourth highest number of Angiosperm species (4,657) and the highest number of endemic species (913). According to Tabarelli & Vicente (2004)TABARELLI, M. & VICENTE, A. 2004. Conhecimento sobre plantas lenhosas da Caatinga: Lacunas geográficas e ecológicas. In Biodiversidade da Caatinga: Áreas e ações prioritárias para a conservação (J.M.C. Silva, M. Tabarelli, M.T. Fonseca & L.V. Lins, eds). Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Brasília, p. 101-111., information is still lacking in relation to the composition of 41% of the caatinga area, and therefore the actual number of species must certainly be underestimated.

In a floristic and phytogeographical study of semideciduous vegetation of the São José Plateau (near the CNP), the most representative families were Fabaceae (29 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (19 spp.), and Myrtaceae (10 spp.) (Gomes et al. 2006GOMES, A.P.S., RODAL, M.J.N. & MELO, A.L. 2006. Florística e fitogeografia da vegetação arbustiva subcaducifólia da Chapada de São José, Buíque, PE. Brasil. Acta Bot. Bras. 20: 1-12. 10.1590/S0102-33062006000100005
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-3306200600... ). That Fabaceae is the most representative group in the Caatinga has been corroborated in various floristic lists (Rodal and Melo 1999RODAL, M.J.N. & MELO, A.L. 1999. Levantamento preliminar das espécies lenhosas da Caatinga de Pernambuco. In Plantas do Nordeste: Anais do I Workshop Geral (F.D. Araújo, H.D.V. Prendergast & S.J. Mayo, eds). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, p. 53-62., Queiroz 2002QUEIROZ, L.P. 2002. Distribuição das espécies de Leguminoseae na caatinga. In Vegetação e flora das caatingas (E.V.S.B. Sampaio, A.M. Giulietti, J. Virgínio & C.F.L. Gamarra-Rojas, eds). APNE/CNIP, Recife, p. 141-153.). The family Myrtaceae, together with Cactaceae, have the largest numbers of endemic species in that ecosystem (Queiroz 2002QUEIROZ, L.P. 2002. Distribuição das espécies de Leguminoseae na caatinga. In Vegetação e flora das caatingas (E.V.S.B. Sampaio, A.M. Giulietti, J. Virgínio & C.F.L. Gamarra-Rojas, eds). APNE/CNIP, Recife, p. 141-153., Taylor & Zappi 2002TAYLOR, N.P. & ZAPPI, D. 2002. Distribuição das espécies de Cactaceae na caatinga. In Vegetação e flora das caatingas (E.V.S.B. Sampaio, A.M. Giulietti, J. Virgínio &C.F.L. Gamarra-Rojas, eds). APNE/CNIP, Recife, p. 123-125.). According to the catalogue of vascular plants of the Caatinga (Moro et al. 2014MORO, M.F., LUGHADHA, E.N., FILER, D.L., ARAÚJO, F.S. & MARTINS, F.R. 2014. A catalogue of the vascular plants of the Caatinga Phytogeographical Domain: a synthesis of floristic and phytosociological surveys. Phytotaxa 160 (1): 1-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160.1.1
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160... ), the most diverse families there are Fabaceae (292 spp.), Euphorbiaceae (103 spp.), Malvaceae (82 spp.), and Asteraceae (67 spp.). Ours results are quite similar to other surveys carried out in caatinga vegetation, which showed Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Convolvulaceae to be the most diverse (e.g., Rodal 1992RODAL, M.J.N. 1992. Fitossociologia da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea em quatro áreas de caatinga em Pernambuco. PhD thesis, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo. 224 pp., Sales et al. 1998SALES, M.F., MAYO, S.J. & RODAL, S.J. 1998. Plantas vasculares das florestas serranas de Pernambuco: um checklist da flora ameaçada dos Brejos de Altitude Pernambuco, Brasil. Recife, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, 130 pp., Araújo et al. 1995ARAÚJO, E.D.L., SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 1995. Composição florística e fitossociologia de três áreas de caatinga. Rev. Bras. Biol. 55: 595-607., Rodal & Melo 1999RODAL, M.J.N. & MELO, A.L. 1999. Levantamento preliminar das espécies lenhosas da Caatinga de Pernambuco. In Plantas do Nordeste: Anais do I Workshop Geral (F.D. Araújo, H.D.V. Prendergast & S.J. Mayo, eds). Kew: Royal Botanic Gardens, p. 53-62., Alcoforado Filho et al. 2003ALCOFORADO-FILHO, F.G.A., SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2003. Florística e fitossociologia de um remanescente de vegetação caducifólia espinhosa arbórea em Caruaru, Pernambuco. Acta Bot. Bras. 17 (2): 287-303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062003000200011
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062003... , Barbosa et al. 2005BARBOSA, M.R.V., CASTRO, R., ARAÚJO, F.S. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2005. Estratégias para conservação da biodiversidade e prioridades para a pesquisa científica no bioma Caatinga. In Análise das variações da biodiversidade do Bioma Caatinga: Suporte a estratégias regionais (F.S. Araújo, M.J.N. Rodal & M.R.V. Barbosa, eds). Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Brasília, p. 417-431., Santos & Melo 2010SANTOS, A.C.J. & MELO, J.I.M. 2010. Flora vascular de uma área de caatinga no estado da Paraíba-Nordeste do Brasil. Rev. Caatinga 23 (2): 32-40. 10.5007/2175-7925.2011v24n4p39
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2011v2... , Moro et al. 2014MORO, M.F., LUGHADHA, E.N., FILER, D.L., ARAÚJO, F.S. & MARTINS, F.R. 2014. A catalogue of the vascular plants of the Caatinga Phytogeographical Domain: a synthesis of floristic and phytosociological surveys. Phytotaxa 160 (1): 1-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160.1.1
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160... ). It is worth noting that the seven most diverse families in the CNP coincide with the ten richest families in Brazil (regardless of the type of ecosystem) (BFG 2015BFG. 2015. Growing knowledge: an overview of seed plant diversity in Brazil. Rodriguésia 66: 2-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201566411
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020156... ), except for Convolvulaceae, which does not appear on the BFG list. The BFG (2015)BFG. 2015. Growing knowledge: an overview of seed plant diversity in Brazil. Rodriguésia 66: 2-29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201566411
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020156... list for the caatinga cites Fabaceae, Poaceae, Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Rubiaceae, Cyperaceae, Malvaceae, Apocynaceae, Melastomataceae, and Orchidaceae as the most numerous families.

The diversity of families (approximately 20) in the CNP was significantly higher than average when compared to other surveys conducted in caatinga sites (e.g., Barbosa et al. 2005BARBOSA, M.R.V., CASTRO, R., ARAÚJO, F.S. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2005. Estratégias para conservação da biodiversidade e prioridades para a pesquisa científica no bioma Caatinga. In Análise das variações da biodiversidade do Bioma Caatinga: Suporte a estratégias regionais (F.S. Araújo, M.J.N. Rodal & M.R.V. Barbosa, eds). Ministério do Meio Ambiente, Brasília, p. 417-431., Andrade et al. 2002, Amorim et al. 2005AMORIM, A.M., KUTSCHENKO, D.C., JUDICE, D.M. & BARROS, F.S.M. 2013. Malpighiaceae. In Livro Vermelho da Flora do Brasil (G. Martinelli & M.A. Moraes, eds). Andrea Jakobsson: Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 1100 pp., Costa et al. 2009COSTA, K.C., LIMA, A.L.A., FERNANDES, C.H.M., SILVA, M.C.N.A., LINS E SILVA, A.C.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2009. Flora vascular e formas de vida em um hectare de caatinga no Nordeste brasileiro. Rev. Brasi. Cienc. Agrar. 4 (1): 48-54., Santos & Melo 2010SANTOS, A.C.J. & MELO, J.I.M. 2010. Flora vascular de uma área de caatinga no estado da Paraíba-Nordeste do Brasil. Rev. Caatinga 23 (2): 32-40. 10.5007/2175-7925.2011v24n4p39
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2011v2... ). The large number of botanical families found in the study area probably reflects the diversity of regional vegetation types in a varied mosaic of environments. The preservation the Park for at least 16 years could also contribute to the species richness found there.

Among the fifteen most diverse genera of the CNP, nine coincide with the genera listed by Moro et al. (2014)MORO, M.F., LUGHADHA, E.N., FILER, D.L., ARAÚJO, F.S. & MARTINS, F.R. 2014. A catalogue of the vascular plants of the Caatinga Phytogeographical Domain: a synthesis of floristic and phytosociological surveys. Phytotaxa 160 (1): 1-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160.1.1
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160... as most representative of Caatinga vegetation (Croton - 37 spp., Mimosa - 28 spp., Ipomoea - 28 spp., Chamaechrista - 24 spp., Erythroxylum - 24 spp., Senna - 21 spp., Cyperus - 20 spp., Eugenia - 19 spp. and Sida - 17 spp.). Croton was also found to be the most diversified genus in terms of the number of species in other floristic surveys carried out in areas of caatinga (Guerra et al. 2008, Santos & Melo 2010SANTOS, A.C.J. & MELO, J.I.M. 2010. Flora vascular de uma área de caatinga no estado da Paraíba-Nordeste do Brasil. Rev. Caatinga 23 (2): 32-40. 10.5007/2175-7925.2011v24n4p39
https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2011v2... ). The CNP holds 51% and 50% of the species of Croton (35) and Ipomoea (36) recorded in caatinga vegetation in all of Pernambuco State.

Our data indicated that most genera (175) comprise only one species, while 137 genera comprise more than one. Other surveys carried out in areas of Caatinga (e.g., Rodal 1992RODAL, M.J.N. 1992. Fitossociologia da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea em quatro áreas de caatinga em Pernambuco. PhD thesis, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo. 224 pp., Araújo et al. 1995ARAÚJO, E.D.L., SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 1995. Composição florística e fitossociologia de três áreas de caatinga. Rev. Bras. Biol. 55: 595-607., Ramalho et al. 2009RAMALHO, C.I., ANDRADE, A.P., FÉLIX, L.P., LACERDA, A.V. & MARACAJÁ P.B. 2009. Flora arbóreo-arbustiva em áreas de Caatinga no semiárido baiano, Brasil. Rev. Caatinga 22 (3): 178-186.) likewise showed a tendency of low diversity within the genera, corroborating our results.

Some of the most well-represented families in the region (e.g., Convolvulaceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Fabaceae) have been the subject of reviews (Delgado-Júnior et al. 2014DELGADO-JÚNIOR, G.C., BURIL, M.T. & ALVES, M. 2014. Convolvulaceae do Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brasil. Rodriguésia 65 (2): 425-442. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602014000200008
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602014... , Gomes et al. 2006GOMES, A.P.S., RODAL, M.J.N. & MELO, A.L. 2006. Florística e fitogeografia da vegetação arbustiva subcaducifólia da Chapada de São José, Buíque, PE. Brasil. Acta Bot. Bras. 20: 1-12. 10.1590/S0102-33062006000100005
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0102-3306200600... , Melo 2013MELO, T.M.S. 2013. Os gêneros Chamaecrista Moench e Senna Mill (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae) no Parque Nacional Vale do Catimbau, Buíque, Pernambuco, Brasil. PhD dissertation, Universidade Federal Rural de Pemambuco, Recife.), with extensive collections and identification updates in regional herbaria.

Myrtaceae is generally poorly represented in the surveys of woody components in areas associated with the sertaneja depression of the central sertão region of Pernambuco (Rodal 1992RODAL, M.J.N. 1992. Fitossociologia da vegetação arbustivo-arbórea em quatro áreas de caatinga em Pernambuco. PhD thesis, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, São Paulo. 224 pp.), although Eugenia (with five species) was included in the present study among the fifteen most diverse genera. Moro et al. (2014)MORO, M.F., LUGHADHA, E.N., FILER, D.L., ARAÚJO, F.S. & MARTINS, F.R. 2014. A catalogue of the vascular plants of the Caatinga Phytogeographical Domain: a synthesis of floristic and phytosociological surveys. Phytotaxa 160 (1): 1-118. http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160.1.1
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.160... ranked Myrtaceae as the eleventh largest family in the caatinga (with 42 species) and highlighted the genus Eugenia (with 19 species) as the eighth most diverse taxon in that ecosystem. Ferraz (1998)FERRAZ, E.M.N., RODAL, M.J.M., SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. & PEREIRA, R.C.A. 1998. Composição florística em trechos de vegetação de caatinga e brejo de altitude na região do Vale do Pajeú, Pernambuco. Rev. Bras. Bot. 21 (1): 7-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-84041998000100002
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-84041998... observed that the Myrtaceae family stood out as the most representative (with nine species) in humid forests located at altitudes ≥1,100 m in the uplands forests of Pernambuco. That family was listed as the sixth richest (with six species) at 900 m a.s.l., with a predominance of species typical of the caatinga. In the survey carried out by Lyra (1982)LYRA, A.L.R.T. 1982. A condição de Brejo: efeito do relevo na vegetação de duas áreas do município do Brejo da Madre de Deus - PE. PhD dissertation, Universidade Federal Rural de Pemambuco, Recife. in montane forests in the municipality of Bituri (Pernambuco), Myrtaceae also stood out as the family with the greatest number of species (9). Upland forests, where the greatest fraction of the representatives of Eugenia was found, represent one of the phytophysiognomies that compose the intricate vegetation complex in the study area. Additionally, Myrtaceae species are more frequently found in sedimentary areas, which would help to explain the richness of the family in the study area (Rodal et al. 1999RODAL, M.J.N., NASCIMENTO, L.M. & MELO, A.L. 1999. Composição florística de um trecho de vegetação arbustiva caducifólia no município de Ibimirim, PE, Brasil. Acta Bot. Bras. 13 (1): 15-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33061999000100003
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33061999... , Lemos & Rodal 2002LEMOS, J.R. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2002. Fitossociologia do componente lenhoso de um trecho da vegetacão de caatinga no parque nacional da Serra da Capivara, Piauí, Brasil. Acta Bot. Bras. 16 (1): 22-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062002000100005
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062002... ). Anadenanthera colubrina (Vell.) Brenan (Fabaceae) was registered in eight of the twelve floristic groups of the dry forest categories established by DRYFLOR (2016)DRYFLOR. 2016. Plant diversity patterns in neotropical dry forests and their conservation implications. Science 353 (6306): 1383-1387. 10.1126/science.aaf5080
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf5080... , and is considered one of the most widely disseminated species in the Caatinga and in central Brazil. Our floristic listing included one of its varieties: Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Griseb.) Reis, which can be found in several regions of Brazil (northeast, central-western, and southeast) and in several of its phytogeographical domains (caatinga, savanna, and Atlantic Forest) (Flora do Brasil 2020 2018FLORA DO BRASIL 2020. 2018. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/. (last access 15 March 2018).
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/... ).

In terms of plant habits, Poaceae was referred to as the family with the highest herbaceous species richness in other studies conducted in the Caatinga (e.g., Costa et al. 2009COSTA, K.C., LIMA, A.L.A., FERNANDES, C.H.M., SILVA, M.C.N.A., LINS E SILVA, A.C.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2009. Flora vascular e formas de vida em um hectare de caatinga no Nordeste brasileiro. Rev. Brasi. Cienc. Agrar. 4 (1): 48-54., Araújo et al. 2002ARAÚJO, E.L., SILVA, S.I. & FERRAZ, E.M.N. 2002. Herbáceas da Caatinga de Pernambuco. In Diagnóstico da biodiversidade de Pernambuco (M. Tabarelli & J.M.C. Silva, eds). Secretaria de Ciência, Tecnologia e Meio Ambiente. Recife: Ed. Massangana, p. 183-205., Alcoforado-Filho et al. 2003ALCOFORADO-FILHO, F.G.A., SAMPAIO, E.V.S.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2003. Florística e fitossociologia de um remanescente de vegetação caducifólia espinhosa arbórea em Caruaru, Pernambuco. Acta Bot. Bras. 17 (2): 287-303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062003000200011
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33062003... ). Generally, high numbers of grasses are associated with anthropic intervention and disturbance (Albuquerque & Bandeira 1995ALBUQUERQUE, S.G. & BANDEIRA, G.R. 1995. Efeito do raleamento e rebaixamento na fitomassa de forragem numa caatinga da região de Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brasil. Pesqui. Agropec. Bras. 30: 885-891.).

Delgado-Júnior & Alves (2017)DELGADO-JUNIOR, G.C. & ALVES, M. 2017. Diversity of climbing plants in Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brazil. Rodriguésia 68 (2): 347-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201768206
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020176... reported results similar to ours in the same study area. According to those authors, Convolvulaceae, Apocynaceae, Fabaceae, Malpighiaceae, and Bignoniaceae had the highest number of species with a climbing habit. Other authors (e.g., Rodal et al. 1999RODAL, M.J.N., NASCIMENTO, L.M. & MELO, A.L. 1999. Composição florística de um trecho de vegetação arbustiva caducifólia no município de Ibimirim, PE, Brasil. Acta Bot. Bras. 13 (1): 15-28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33061999000100003
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0102-33061999... , Figueiredo et al. 2000FIGUEIREDO, L.S., RODAL, M.J.N. & MELO, A.L. 2000. Florística e fitossociologia de uma área de vegetação arbustiva caducifólia no município de Buíque - Pernambuco. Naturalia 25: 33-46., Costa et al. 2009COSTA, K.C., LIMA, A.L.A., FERNANDES, C.H.M., SILVA, M.C.N.A., LINS E SILVA, A.C.B. & RODAL, M.J.N. 2009. Flora vascular e formas de vida em um hectare de caatinga no Nordeste brasileiro. Rev. Brasi. Cienc. Agrar. 4 (1): 48-54.) reported high diversities of climbing plants in vegetation types associated with sedimentary basins and mountains in the semiarid region of Brazil, which could explain the high number of climbing species encountered in the Park.

Dyckia limae and Tillandsia catimbauensis are restricted to the Park and represented by just a few irregularly distributed populations in the area (Fabricante et al. 2014FABRICANTE, J.R., ARAÚJO, K.C.T., FERREIRA, J.V.A., CASTRO, R.A., SILVA, A.C.C.P. & SIQUEIRA-FILHO, J.A. 2014. Categorização do risco de extinção de Dyckia limae L.B. Sm. e Tillandsia catimbauensis Leme, W. Till & J.A. Siqueira por meio de critérios de distribuição geográfica. Biotemas 27 (2): 203-207. http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2014v27n2p203
http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/2175-7925.2014... ). Those authors reported that due to their extents of occurrence and areas of occupation, both species were classified as critically endangered (CR) according the criteria of IUCN (2010)IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2010. Guidelines for using the IUCN red list categories and criteria. Version 8.1. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, Gland: IUCN, 85 pp.. Mandevilla catimbauensis has a number of records in the park, but has not been evaluated in terms of its threatened status (Delgado-Júnior & Alves 2017DELGADO-JUNIOR, G.C. & ALVES, M. 2017. Diversity of climbing plants in Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brazil. Rodriguésia 68 (2): 347-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201768206
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020176... , Flora do Brasil 2020 2018FLORA DO BRASIL 2020. 2018. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/. (last access 15 March 2018).
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/... ). The specimen labels of A. buiquensis do not accurately indicate its collection locations within the Park, and the species was therefore classified as Data Deficient (DD) (Hind & Bautista 2009HIND, D.J.N. & BAUTISTA, H.P. 2009. Acritopappus buiquensis (Compositae: Eupatorieae: Ageratinae) A New species from the Brejo Forests of Pernambuco State, Brazil. Kew Bull. 64: 701-704. 10.1007/s12225-009-9142-2
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-009-9142-... ). The low percentage of exclusive species in the Park reflects the large number of species shared with neighboring floristic groups, and our results contradict reports of high rates of endemism in the CNP (MMA 2002MMA - Ministério do Meio Ambiente, dos Recursos Hídricos e da Amazônia Legal. 2002. Avaliação e ações prioritárias para a conservação da biodiversidade da Caatinga. Brasília, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Conservation Internacional do Brasil e Fundação O Boticário.). That fact does not reduce the importance of the area, however, as it shows high diversity and floristic richness, and includes rare and endangered species; it also comprises a mosaic of vegetation forming unique landscapes in the region.

In addition to endemic species, the study area comprises species such as Bunchosia pernambucana W.R. Anderson (Malpighiaceae), Griffinia gardneriana (Herb.) Ravenna (Amaryllidaceae), and Jacaranda rugosa A.H. Gentry (Bignoniaceae) that fall into the endangered category (EN) (IUCN 2010IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2010. Guidelines for using the IUCN red list categories and criteria. Version 8.1. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Subcommittee, Gland: IUCN, 85 pp., Flora do Brasil 2020 2018FLORA DO BRASIL 2020. 2018. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/. (last access 15 March 2018).
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/... ). According Amorim et al. (2013)AMORIM, A.M., KUTSCHENKO, D.C., JUDICE, D.M. & BARROS, F.S.M. 2013. Malpighiaceae. In Livro Vermelho da Flora do Brasil (G. Martinelli & M.A. Moraes, eds). Andrea Jakobsson: Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 1100 pp., B. pernambucana is known from only a few collections and has so far been recorded in only one other conservation area, the Serra Negra Biological Reserve (which has become increasingly degraded due to a lack of supervision). Setaria parviflora (Poir.) Kerguélen (Poaceae) was classified as critically endangered; Apuleia leiocarpa (Vogel) J.F. Macrb. was classified as Vulnerable (VU), probably due to its economic importance (Lima et al. 2013LIMA, H.C., SOUZA, E.R.S., TOZZI, A.M.G.A., PEREZ, A.P.F., FLORES, A.S., SARTORI, A.L.B., VAZ, A.M.S.F., FILARDI, F., FERNANDES, F.M., GARCIA, F.C.P., IGANCI, J.R.V., FERNANDES, J.M., VALLS, J.F.M., LIMA, L.C.P., COSTA, L.C., QUEIROZ, L.P., MORIM, M.P., NUNES, N.L.A., QUEIROZ, R.T., MIOTTO, S.T.S., DUTRA, V.F., MANSANO, V.F., SOUZA, V.C., MESSINA, T., KUTSCHENKO, D.C., PENEDO, T.S.A. & VALENTE, A.M. 2013. Fabaceae/Leguminosae. In Livro Vermelho da Flora do Brasil (G. Martinelli & M.A. Moraes, eds). Andrea Jakobsson: Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 1100 pp.); Jacquemontia chrysanthera Buril (Convolvulaceae) was also classified as Vulnerable (VU) by Buril (2011)BURIL, M.T. & ALVES, M. 2011. A new species of Jacquemontia (Convolvulaceae) from Northeastern Brazil. Brittonia 63: 436-441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-011-9188-y
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-011-9188-... .

Considering the data available in the species lists of the Flora do Brasil 2020 (2018)FLORA DO BRASIL 2020. 2018. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/. (last access 15 March 2018).
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/... , the Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora (CNCFlora 2018CNCFlora. Centro Nacional de Conservação da Flora In Lista Vermelha da flora brasileira versão (2012) http://cncflora.jbrj.gov.br/portal/pt-br/profile/Campomanesiaaromatica. (last access 16 July 2018).
http://cncflora.jbrj.gov.br/portal/pt-br... ), and in floristic studies conducted in Pernambuco (e.g., Rodal et al. 1998RODAL, M.J.N., ANDRADE, Κ.V.S., SALES, M.F. & GOMES, A.P.S. 1998. Fitossociologia do componente lenhoso de um refugio vegetacional no município de Buique, Pernambuco. Rev. Bras. Biol. 58 (3): 517-526. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71081998000300017
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0034-71081998... , Almeida-Júnior et al. 2007ALMEIDA-JR., E.B., PIMENTEL, R.M.M. & ZICKEL, C.S. 2007. Flora e formas de vida em uma área de restinga no litoral norte de Pernambuco, Brasil. Rev. Geog. 24 (1): 19-34., Silva et al 2009SILVA, J.S., SALES, M.F. & CARNEIRO-TORRES, D.S. 2009. O gênero Croton (Euphorbiaceae) na microrregião do Vale do Ipanema, Pernambuco, Brasil. Rodriguésia 60 (4): 879-901. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860200960409
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020096... , Nascimento et al. 2012NASCIMENTO, L.M., RODAL, M.J.N., SILVA, A.G. 2012. Florística de uma floresta estacional no Planalto da Borborema, Nordeste do Brasil. Rodriguésia 63 (2): 429-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602012000200015
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S2175-78602012... , Delgado-Júnior & Alves 2017DELGADO-JUNIOR, G.C. & ALVES, M. 2017. Diversity of climbing plants in Parque Nacional do Catimbau, Pernambuco, Brazil. Rodriguésia 68 (2): 347-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-7860201768206
http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/2175-786020176... ), 34 new occurrences for Pernambuco State were recorded in the present study. Most of the species reported for the first time in Pernambuco are known to occur in several states in Northeastern Brazil [Acalypha brasiliensis Müll. Arg., Anemopaegma chamberlaynii (Sims.) Bureau & K. Schum., Cenchrus echinatus L., Cnidoscolus pubescens Pohl, Crotalaria bahiensis Windler & S.G.Skinner, Croton pedicelatus Kunth., Erythroxylum betulaceum Mart., Heteropterys byrsonimifolia A. Juss., Ichnanthus leiocarpus (Spreng.) Kunth, Leptolobium dasycarpum Vogel, Mimosa guaranitica Chod. & Hassl., M. setosa Benth., Mouriri pusa Gard. ex Gard. Myroxylon peruiferum L. f., Paepalanthus subtilis Miq., Psidium myrtoides O. Berg., Securidaca coriacea Bonpl., and Solanum thomasiifolium Sendtn.].

The other new records for Pernambuco consist of species currently known to be endemic to Bahia State [Axonopus laxiflorus (Trin.) Chase, Chamaecrista cytisoides (DC. Collad.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, Croton janeirensis Radd.-Sm. & Govaerts., Eugenia supraaxillaris Vell., Galactia remansoana Harms., Libidibia ferrea var. leiostachya (Benth.) Ducke, Mimosa gemmulata var. gemmulata Barneby, Paspalum decumbens Sw., Portulaca grandiflora Hook. and Psidium salutare (Kunth) O. Berg), Ceará State (Centrosema pubescens Benth. and Eremanthus arboreus (Gard.) MacLeisch), and Sergipe State (Pterolepis perpusilla (Naudin) Cogn.) (Flora do Brasil 2020 2018FLORA DO BRASIL 2020. 2018. http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/. (last access 15 March 2018).
http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/... )].

The lack of knowledge of those taxa in Pernambuco probably reflects low collection efforts, and the high numbers of new records for the state encountered demonstrate the importance of the park area. The information generated by the present can be used to subsidize the proper management of the Catimbau National Park and help guide policies to ensure its sustainability.

Acknowledgements

The present study was funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) through the project "Diversidade e Conservação do Parque Nacional do Vale do CNP, Buíque, Pernambuco". We thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes) for the postdoctoral fellowship awarded to the first author; all of the specialists of different nationalities who helped us immensely with the species identifications; and the anonymous reviewers for their critical comments and suggestions to improve this article.

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