Etnobotânica, florística, e citogenética na Serra do Jatobá, no Cariri da Paraíba, nordeste do Brasil

Abstract

The vegetation of the caatinga in Paraíba presents as a highlight in the landscape the occurrence of numerous rocky outcrops that stand out from the flattened landscape of the surroundings, in physiognomic eras and the floristic component. This type of environment has been lately studied in terms of its floristic component. However, although several studies are known about different aspects of the ethnobotany of the caatinga, studies are not known regarding the ethnoflora of these environments. In the municipality of Serra Branca, in the western Cariri region, a great outcrop stands out, the Serra do Jatobá, distant about 10 km from the county seat, popularly known as the largest batholith in the world. This work is presented in three chapters. In the first one, a floristic survey of this inselberg was carried out. In the second one, the karyotype variability of some species of this component was analyzed using the fluorochromes CMA and DAPI and, in the third one, the ethnoflora, its use and the form of use by the surrounding community. The floristic survey showed 78 families, 194 genera and 264 species, six families of Lyophytes and Monophyly, three Basal Angiosperms (including one family of the ANA group and two Magnoliids), 16 monocotyledons and 52 Eudicots. Among the taxonomic categories, Pteridophytes were represented by six genera and six species, the basal Angiosperms by three genera and three species, the Monocotyledons, by 33 genera and 42 species and Eudicots, by 152 genera and 213 species. The families Fabaceae, with 40 species, Euphorbiaceae, with 23, Convolvulaceae, with 14, Malvaceae, with 13, Asteraceae, with 12 and Cyperaceae, with 10 presented the greatest species richness. Thirteen species were analyzed cariologically, of which six had no previous cariological record, while four had their counts confirmed and three had divergent counts. In the ethnobotanical survey, 80 species belonging to 63 genera and 38 families were cited in the interviews, with Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae being the most cited, with 17 and 11 species, respectively. The most frequently mentioned species were Myracrodruon urunduva and Commiphora leptophloeos, both cited 83 times, Aspidosperma pyrifolium, and Croton sonderianus, with 70 and 68 citations, respectively. Among the 11 categories of use cited by the community, the medicinal category was the most widely cited, followed by the forage, technology and construction category.