Ferns and lycophytes from Jaú, São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

This work presented the inventory of ferns and lycophytes of Jaú, São Paulo state. Sixty-eight species of ferns and one of lycophyte were recorded, distributed in 16 families and 32 genera. The richest families were Pteridaceae and Thelypteridaceae with 15 species each, Polypodiaceae (7spp.), Blechnaceae and Dryopteridaceae (5 spp. each). The most common guild of life form was terrestrial herbs with 57 species, followed by epiphytes (6 spp.), arborescent, aquatic and lithophytes (2 spp. each) and hemiepiphytes and scandents with one species each. The analysis of the geographical distribution showed that 46% of the species (32 spp.) occur in the Neotropics, 20 species occurs in Southern America, eight are endemic of Brazil, five pantropical and four are exotic. This study can further collaborate in the protection and preservation of the few remnants which represent probably the last areas where some species of these groups of plants occurring in the municipality.