BackgroundIronstone ranges are considered hotspots for higher plants α and β diversity. The lack of studies and the intense degradation of the ironstone ranges, due to mining, motivated us to compile, for the first time, a list of vascular plants collected on iron-rich derived substrates from ancient landscape of south-eastern Brazil. All existing records in the Brazilian Virtual Herbarium of Flora and Fungi for each of the 43 municipalities containing ironstone ranges were downloaded, resulting in 17,954 vouchers identified to the species level. We found 2,933 species belonging to 160 families and 818 genera.New informationFor the first time, we identified 148 species mentioned in endangered flora official lists and 48 narrow endemic species. Collecting efforts must still be supported to properly sample the vegetation since, for 143 sites, less than 10 records/site were found. This dataset will assist with the indication of dozens of plant species whose threat criteria must be urgently assessed to subsidise public policies on the use and conservation of the Brazilian flora.

The Espinhaço Mountain Range in Minas Gerais state in southeastern Brazil is a center of endemism of the Bromeliaceae, mainly in campo rupestre montane vegetation that grows under rigorous edapho-climatic conditions. This study sought to improve our knowledge of the Bromeliaceae from Serra da Piedade in the extreme southern portion of the Espinhaço Mountain Range where ironstone outcrops predominate. Conservation status and spatial distribution of these plants were analyzed as well as floristic similarities with other regions with rocky outcrops. Twenty-five bromeliad species were found in Serra da Piedade, with the subfamily Tillandsioideae being the best represented. Twenty-seven percent of the species were exclusive to campo rupestre environments, while 73% occurred both on outcrops and in forest habitats. The bromeliads in the study area merit special attention as two species are considered vulnerable (Racinaea aerisincola and Vriesea minarum), five are endangered, and three are critically endangered. Low Jaccard index values indicated dissimilarities between the bromeliad floras in different localities of quartzite and ironstone outcrops within the Espinhaço Mountain Range. Serra da Piedade has a distinct bromeliad flora that is threatened by mining activities and illegal harvesting and requires immediate measures to help guarantee conservation.

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Panicum brachystachyum, a Poaceae species previously thought to be extinct was rediscovered in the Parque Natural Municipal Ribeirão do Campo, Conceição do Mato Dentro, Minas Gerais, Brazil. A redescription and an illustration of the species are presented, emphasizing the rhizomatous habit and caryopsis, aspects not to be found in the literature. The hypothesis of this species being endemic in the Serra do Cipó region is strengthened. Keywords: Panicum brachystachyum, Paniceae, Poaceae, Espinhaço Range, Brazil.

Abstract— The Habenaria repens complex comprises ca. 14 species distributed from the southern United States to northern Argentina. In Brazil, several morphotypes with similar ecological preferences to H. repens s. s. occur, which have made identification at the specific level challenging. In an associated article using molecular phylogenetic, morphometry, and population genetic analyses, we showed that the H. repens complex is polyphyletic and subdivided into three main distantly related clades. Four of the studied morphotypes are phylogenetically distant from H. repens s. s. and morphologically distinct from all other taxa in the complex. They are described here as H. bryophila, H. hygrophila, H. subrepens, and H. compluviosa. Similarly to H. repens s. s., these newly proposed species show preferences for aquatic environments, but differ in habitat specificity, phenology, and morphology. The new taxa are restricted to upland, wet grasslands associated with campos rupestres occurring in the Espinhaço Range in the states of Minas Gerais and Bahia, or other mountainous areas of Minas Gerais and Goiás. We provide a diagnosis with detailed morphological characterization for each species, including etymology, distribution, informal conservation assessments, data on habitat and phenology, notes, images, and diagnostic characters to separate them from each other and H. repens s. s.