TAXONOMIA E ANATOMIA DAS ESPÉCIES DE POUTERIA AUBLET (SAPOTACEAE) DO ESTADO DO RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL.pdf

The genus Pouteria Aubl. is the largest of the Sapotaceae Family, with almost 325 species, especially found in Brazil, and has been utilized as timber and potential source of fruits for human consumption. Considering the economic importance of the group and the lack of information about its morphology and taxonomy, the species from Rio de Janeiro State have been studied focusing the knowlegde of the local flora. The work has been done under the usual methodology in taxonomy and plant anatomy, and elaborated the description of external and internal morphology, illustrations, and distribution maps with adicional information as economic importance and conservational status. In this study, 16 taxa were selected: P. bangii, P. beaurepairei, P. bullata, P. caimito, P. filipes, P. gardneriana, P. grandiflora, P. guianensis, P. macahensis, P. procera, P. psammophila, P. ramiflora, P. reticulata, P. salicifolia, P. torta and P. venosa. Considering the external morphology, inflorescence classification, venation pattern, presence and trichomes types, all have been assessed in deciding the caracterization of species, as well as the data obtained from leaf anatomy, lamina structure, cuticle ornamentation and vascular bundle classification. The leaf anatomy demonstrated significant importance in species delimitation, and an identification keys using anatomical characters and external morphological aspects were elaborated. It should be noted the necessity of further investigations in flower biology, embriology, chemiossystematics, among others, which will lead to better interpretation and knowledge of the group.