What is the Flora of the Pantanal Wetland?

Abstract

The Brazilian Pantanal is a vast Neotropical wetland, in the upper Paraguay River basin. Rainfall and flooding are seasonal. The landscape is heterogeneous showing a mosaic of vegetation types. Overall, it is predominantly a savanna, with aquatic plants, riparian and dry forests, forest islets, woodlands, grasslands and many monodominant formations. The flora is composed of over 2,200 species of Angiosperms, and the species-richest families are Fabaceae (Pea Family) and Poaceae (Grass Family), each with over 300 species, followed by Asteraceae (Daisy Family) and Cyperaceae (Sedge Family), both with more than 100 species each. The species richest genera are Paspalum, Ipomoea (morning glories), Mimosa (sensitive plants), Croton, Eugenia, Ludwigia (primroses) and Arachis (wild peanuts). Very few are endemic species, as the region is geologically recent. The flora comes from surrounding domains, such as Cerrado, Chaco, Amazon, and Atlantic Forest, although most species have broad distribution. However, their arrangement and dynamics are unique in the Pantanal. Human population is quite low, except on the edges. Cattle ranching is the main economy for over 200 years. The conservation status of the Pantanal is still considered rather natural and pristine. Tourism is increasing, mainly for the abundant wildlife.