Flora of Espírito Santo: Capparaceae

Abstract Capparaceae is a pantropical family of Angiosperm with about 40 to 45 genera and 700 to 900 species, which presents a wide morphological variation in flowers and fruits. There are 12 genera and 30 species of the family in Brazil, a half of it occurring in the Atlantic Forest. Here we study the species of Capparaceae occurring in Espírito Santo, with the objective of expanding the knowledge about the richness of this family in Atlantic Forest. The study was based on the analysis on herbaria collections, as well as samples collected during field collections. Capparaceae in Espírito Santo state is represented by the genera Capparidastrum (1 sp.), Crateva (1 sp.), Cynophalla (2 spp.), Mesocapparis (1 sp.), Monilicarpa (1 sp.) and Neocalyptrocalyx (2 spp.). Cynophalla grandiflora is first described here. Capparaceae is commonly found at a maximum altitude of 600 m in Espírito Santo, predominantly in “tabuleiros costeiros” and coastal plains, without records in mountainous regions. Morphological characteristics of such as habitat, pubescence, tertiary veins, nectaries on leaf axils and type of fruit, are fundamental for the delimitation of the species.