Abstract
ABSTRACT Peperomia is the second most diverse genus of Piperaceae, with an estimated 1,600 species and a pantropical distribution. This work aims to present a taxonomic synopsis of the genus in the State of Roraima, in the extreme north of the Brazilian Amazon forest and belonging to the central-south portion of the Guayana Shield. Based on collecting expeditions and analysis of specimens in various herbaria, 23 taxa were recognized, with two new records for the State and one of them, a new record for Brazil. The taxa are differentiated mainly by phyllotaxis, shape and size of their leaves, in addition to habit and fruits. They have been found in areas of lowland, submontane, montane, tepui and floodplain (várzea) forests and mostly show a distribution restricted to the Neotropics. Some species in the state are presently known exclusively from Mount Roraima, and restricted to a few specimens.
Highlights
The Piperaceae family has the largest number of species of the order Piperales
The objective of this work is to present a taxonomic synopsis of the species of Peperomia found in an area of the extreme north of the Brazilian Amazon, for which collection effort and knowledge of its plant diversity have been lacking
The area selected for the study comprises the State of Roraima, in the extreme north of the Brazilian Amazon and belonging to the south-central portion of the Guayana Shield (1°18'48"S-5°30'51"N, 58°41'49"W-64°34'33"W), with a total area of 224,301.04 km[2]
Summary
The Piperaceae family has the largest number of species of the order Piperales. The order comprises four other families, among which Saururaceae is considered the sister group to Piperaceae (APG III 2009). The family includes about 3,600 species in five genera, with a pantropical distribution and its greatest diversity in the Neotropics (Arias et al 2006, Quijano-Abril et al 2006, Wanke et al 2006, Samain et al 2008). It is divided into three subfamilies, of which Piperoideae Arn., including Peperomia Ruiz & Pav. and Piper L., comprises the core of Piperaceae (Wanke et al 2006, Samain et al 2008). Frenzke et al (2015) recognized 14 subgenera, using morphological characters, mainly morphology of the fruit
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