Abstract
The order Asparagales comprises 14 families, five of which occur in Brazil. Amaryllidaceae is a family of economic relevance and includes numerous ornamental genera. The genus Hippeastrum is widely distributed in Brazil and comprises 34 species, 11 of which occur in areas of restinga (coastal woodland) and Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The morphology of Hippeastrum has not been extensively studied in Brazil, where only a few systematic floristic surveys have been carried out with native species. In field studies and reviews of herbarium collections, we identified five Hippeastrum species occurring in areas of restinga in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The five species identified could be distinguished according to the following palynological characteristics: pollen grain size, polarity, pollen units, shape, aperture (number and type), exine sculpture, colpus length and pattern of sexine ornamentation. Of the five species identified, Hippeastrum aulicum Herb. and H. glaucescens (Ker Gawl.) Herb. were not identified in the field. Among the three species that were found in the field, H. striatum had the widest distribution in the study area, whereas the distribution of H. reticulatum was restricted to a single area of restinga, in the Jacone district of the municipality of Saquarema. Through palynological examinations of specimens from herbaria in the state of Rio de Janeiro, we were able to confirm the identity of all five species of Hippeastrum studied. Our data represent a relevant contribution to increasing knowledge of this plant group in the region and will aid in future conservation efforts.
Highlights
The order Asparagales comprises 14 families, five of which occur in Brazil: Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Hypoxidaceae, Iridaceae, and Orchidaceae (APG III 2009)
In areas of restingas in the state of Rio de Janeiro, the genus Hippeastrum is represented by five species (Fig. 1), specimens of which are on deposit in herbaria collections: Hippeastrum aulicum Herb., H. glaucescens (Ker Gawl.) Herb., H. puniceum (Lam.) Kuntze, H. reticulatum Herb., and H. striatum (Lam.) H
In an early study, (Herbert 1821) posited that all Amaryllidaceae species occurring in the Americas should be classified as belonging to the genus Hippeastrum, and that all those occurring in Africa should be classified as belonging to the genus Amaryllis
Summary
The order Asparagales comprises 14 families, five of which occur in Brazil: Amaryllidaceae, Asparagaceae, Hypoxidaceae, Iridaceae, and Orchidaceae (APG III 2009). Amaryllidaceae is widely distributed in temperate and tropical areas worldwide. The family comprises three subfamilies, 73 genera, and 1605 species (APG III 2009). In Brazil, there are 14 recognized genera, comprising 134 native species (Dutilh & Oliveira 2012) in 14 tribes. The genus Hippeastrum belongs to the tribe Hippeastreae (Meerow et al 2000). Hippeastrum is widely distributed in Brazil, with 34 species, 11 of which occur in areas of restinga (coastal woodland) and Atlantic Forest in the state of Rio de Janeiro (Dutilh & Oliveira 2012)
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