Plantas notáveis da Praça da Independência - João Pessoa-PB

Abstract

The present study was developed with the purpose of providing a list of the most noticeable plants growing in the public square "Praça da Independência" in João Pessoa, Paraíba. The main objective was to construct a virtual interactive identification key allowing visitors (common people or scholars) to identify the plant species from the public square. Therefore we collected fertile plant material from the Praça da Independência between September 2021 and May 2022. The material was than herborized according to usual techniques, to produce a voucher that will be deposited in Herbarium JPB in Universidade Federal da Paraiba. As a result, 68 species of flowering plants were identified. Plant characters used to identify the plants were listed and implemented in a database of a website, transformed into a virtual interactive key which was made available at a public address (website) on the internet. The website, in addition to presenting the key for identifying the plants, also allows the visualization of a list of the 68 notable plants of the square, including their precise location thus allowing the common user to find them through a map. We expect, that this contribution will increase the interest in plants of those who visit the square, in addition to providing information that is often unknown to most people, such as their origin. In addition, the identification key and the mapping of the square's plants on the website can also be used by undergraduate and biology teachers and students facilitating and encouraging teaching and learning of botany.