This work presents the species of Salviniales occurring in the region of Viçosa, MG, Brazil. There, two species occur naturally (Azolla microphylla Kaulf. and Salvinia auriculata Aubl.), three spontaneously (Marsilea ancylopoda A. Braun, S. minima Baker, and S. molesta D.S. Mitch.), and one in cultivation (S. biloba Raddi). Both S. auriculata and S. molesta form dense mats, covering the whole lake areas; S. biloba also forms mats throughout its native distribution. We confirmed the alloploidy (pentaploidy) of S. molesta, due to the production of only hollow sporangia; we speculate aneuploidy for other taxa from Viçosa. We also confirmed the presence of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena azollae Strasburger (Nostocaceae), within the fronds of A. microphylla. We provide keys, descriptions, illustrations, taxonomic comments, and updated distribution data for all six taxa. We also propose new characteristics with taxonomic value and new morphological terminology for Salvinia.

The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

In this work, the taxonomic study of Salvinia from the southern and southeastern regions of Brazil is presented. We analyzed materials from herbaria BHCB,

We present a checklist of ferns and lycophytes from Parque Estadual Mata das Flores, a state park located in Castelo, Espírito Santo, Brazil. The park has an area of 800 ha, and its main vegetation is composed of dry forest (at 150-500 m elev.), and a small portion of wet forest (500-700 m), within the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest biome. We found 83 taxa, including 75 species, 3 varieties, 4 putative hybrids, and 1 cultivar. Among these, 17 are newly recorded from the Espírito Santo. Twenty-five taxa are endemic to the Atlantic Forest biome, and 5 are endemic to southeastern Brazil, and 2 are narrow endemics to the states of Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo. Anemia blechnoides is the only vulnerable species found, according to the national red list. We found 4 naturalized species. Among the hybrids, 3 are reported for the first time in literature (Blechnum asplenioides × B. glandulosum, Campyloneurum decurrens × C. repens, and Doryopteris collina × D. lorentzii) and 1 for the first time in Brazil (B. glandulosum × B. polypodioides).

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This study presents a checklist of ferns and lycophytes from a forest associated with quartzitic rocky outcrops in southern Espírito Santo state, Brazil. We recorded 52 species and one hybrid (six lycophytes and 47 ferns) belonging to 15 families and 30 genera. Polypodiaceae, Blechnaceae, Cyatheaceae, and Selaginellaceae are the main representative families. Selaginella, Cyathea, Serpocaulon, and Trichomanes are the main representative genera. Most species are terrestrial (34.6%) and lithophytes (32.6%); epiphytes (14.4%) and species with more than one habit (19%) are scarce. We did not record any hemiepiphytic or scandent species. The region is subject to an intense quartzite mining activity, which poses serious threats to the local biodiversity. Morro Branco (Morro de Sal) was recently the site of new taxonomic discoveries in ferns (Oleandra quartziticola) and angiosperms (Paepalanthus capixaba), demonstrating the biological relevance of forest fragments associated with quartzitic rocky outcrops in Espírito Santo, and reinforcing the need for the effective protection of these areas.

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