Paniceae s.l. (Poaceae: Panicoideae) no município de Cuité, Paraíba, Brasil.

Abstract

Poaceae is considered one of the main families among the angiosperms, both in number of species (approximately 11,000) and in economic and ornamental importance. Within the Panicoideae subfamily there is the Paniceae tribe, of great forage importance, composed in its traditional circumscription (Paniceae sensu lato), for about 118 genera and 2000 species concentrated mainly in the tropics, where Brazil is one of its main centers of diversity. Given the scarcity of studies carried out with this group in the state of Paraíba, the objective of the present study was the taxonomic treatment of the species occurring in the municipality of Cuité. For this purpose, several unsystematic collections were carried out in the most varied points of the municipality between the months of July 2016 and December 2017, including dry and rainy periods. In a complementary way, all Paniceae material deposited in the CES Herbarium belonging to the Education and Health Center of the Federal University of Campina Grande was consulted. The collected material received the treatment commonly used in floristic works and after identification was incorporated into the herbarium CES collection, with separate duplicates to be sent to the JPB herbarium. As results, the occurrence of 15 genera and 35 species was recorded, distributed as follows: Urochloa P. Beauv. with seven species; Panicum L. with five; Paspalum L. and Setaria P. Beauv. with four species each; Digitaria Haller with three; Cenchrus L. with two; and Anthephora Schreb., Axonopus P. Beauv., Echinochloa P. Beauv., Eriochloa Kunth., Megathyrsus (Pilg.) B.K. Simon & S.W.L Jacobs, Melinis P. Beauv., Ocellochloa Zuloaga & Morrone, Paspalidium Stapf. and Steinchisma Raf. with one species each. The results show a great diversity and richness of species occurring in the municipality when compared to other areas studied in the Brazilian northeast, which can be associated to the variety of soils and the presence of springs found in Cuité. Eriochloa punctata (L.) Desv. ex Ham., Ocellochloa sp., Setaria macrostachya Kunth Urochloa adspersa (Trin.) R.D. Webster and Urochloa vittata (Stapf) Morrone & Zuloaga constitute new occurrences for the state.