Survey of orchidaceae from the State of Sergipe, Brazil

Abstract

The state of Sergipe, located in the Northeast Region of Brazil, covers an area of 21,994 km² and is the smallest state in the country. The vegetation of this region is predominantly caatinga, but there are also mangroves, dunes, restinga, fragments of original Atlantic Forest (which are intermingled with pastures, secondary growth, and agricultural land) and cerrado. During intensive fieldwork in Sergipe, we observed various Orchidaceae species that had not been recorded for the state, which made it necessary to update the list of species for this region. Within the state, the family is represented by 63 species and 34 genera, of which Habenaria (10 spp.) Epidendrum (4 spp.) and Encyclia (4 spp.) are highlights. Orchidaceae species from this region are generally terrestrial and occur in grasslands (59%, 37 of 63 spp.). The remaining species are epiphytes (21 spp.) and hemiepiphytes (3 spp.). The majority of the species flower at the beginning of the rainy season. Of the 61 species that were recorded during this study, 34 species are new records for the state of Sergipe. This work includes a list of the species of Orchidaceae from Sergipe, and provides data about the phenology and habitat for each taxon.