A floristic inventory was made in the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Tabatinga to show the importance of small forest fragments for conservation of the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest. The reserve protects a vegetation mosaic typical of coastal habitats in an area of ca. 20 ha, located in the northern part of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Samples of vascular plants were collected between January 2010 and November 2011, and altogether 329 species were recorded. These are classified in 230 genera and 79 families of angiosperms and two genera and two families of ferns. Among the species found, 28 are endemic to the Atlantic Forest, while others are rare and restricted to the Pernambuco Endemism Center. In addition, three threatened species were detected. The presence of endemic, rare, and threatened species, along with floristic patterns typical of coastal areas of Brazil, reinforce the importance of the area for the conservation.

Morphological variations of individuals and populations of plants have hampered taxonomists from understanding whether such variations are intra- or interspecific. In this research, we study Cryptanthus burle-marxii and C. zonatus, the morphological variations of which overlap, making it difficult to identify them. Both taxa are restricted to the north of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and are included in the C. zonatus species complex. We applied different methods such as morphological comparison, population genetics using ten nuclear microsatellite markers and ecological niche modelling to study population genetic structure and species delimitation of this species complex. Our analysis revealed that the two genetic clusters were formed possibly because of the presence of a historical geographical barrier in a region called ‘depressão do Abiaí’. The two genetic clusters were concordant with the northern and southern distribution of the complex but incongruent with a morphological variation or current taxonomic delimitation. Thus, we synonymize C. burle-marxii with C. zonatus and re-evaluate its conservation status as endangered.

Thirty-eight nuclear microsatellite loci originally developed for Aechmea caudata Lindm., Orthophytum ophiuroides Louzada & Wand., Pitcairnia albiflos Herb., Vriesea gigantea (Gaud.) and V. simplex (Vell.) Beer were tested in Cryptanthus burle-marxii Leme and C. zonatus (Vis.) Vis. Of the 38 loci tested, 13 were polymorphic. Ten polymorphic microsatellite loci were selected to be amplified and genotyped in one population each of C. burle-marxii and C. zonatus. The observed and expected heterozygosity per locus in the C. burle-marxii population ranged from 0.050 to 0.850 and 0.050 to 0.770, respectively. In C. zonatus, the observed and expected heterozygosity per locus ranged from 0.167 to 0.846 and 0.290 to 0.692, respectively. The O. ophiuroides locus Op52 for the C. zonatus population and P. albiflos locus PaC05 for the two species showed significant departure from HWE. These ten polymorphic loci tested will be used to assess the genetic diversity and structure of the two species of Cryptanthus.

Resumo Polygalaceae é amplamente distribuída nas regiões tropicais e temperadas. Apresenta aproximadamente 1.300 espécies, com 197 ocorrentes no Brasil. Para os fragmentos de floresta atlântica estudados na área da Usina São José, em Igarassu, Pernambuco foram reconhecidos cinco gêneros e nove espécies. São elas: Asemeia martiana, A. violacea, Bredemeyera laurifolia, Diclidanthera laurifolia, Polygala galioides, P. longicaulis, P. paniculata, P. trichosperma e Securidaca diversifolia. As espécies da área são diferenciadas principalmente pelo hábito, ocorrência e formato de glândulas na base do pecíolo e do pedicelo, ápice da carena, tipo de fruto, formato das sementes e ocorrência de apêndices nas mesmas. O tratamento taxonômico conta com chave de identificação, descrições, ilustrações e comentários para os táxons.

Abstract—Cryptanthus cinereus D.M.C. Ferreira & Louzada, a new rare species of Bromeliaceae restricted to northeastern Brazil, is described and illustrated. Cryptanthus cinereus is a rupicolous plant that occurs in the Atlantic Forest on the top of a rocky outcrop and is known only from a single record. This new species is morphologically similar to Cryptanthus felixii, but differs mainly by its narrowly triangular leaves that are wider at base, primary bracts with adaxial surfaces densely lepidote (vs. glabrous or glabrous with base densely lepidote), shorter flowers (39‐52 mm), sepal lobes lanceolate, with shorter connate sepals (1.6‐5 mm) and petals (1‐1.2 mm). An identification key to Cryptanthus cinereus and other species that occur in the Atlantic Forest north of the São Francisco River is provided. In addition, two species complexes are characterized for the area.