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Alysicarpus ovalifolius (Schumach. & Thonn.) J. Leonard is a legume species used as forage plant, which is originally native to Africa but today has a pantropical distribution. This species is probably expanding its distribution in the neotropics and therefore can be considered a potentially invasive species. In Brazil, the only species of Alysicarpus Neck. ex Desv. hitherto recorded was A. vaginalis (L.) DC., which is also non-native in the Americas. This study presents the fi rst account of the occurrence and distribution of A. ovalifolius in Brazil, including notes on its taxonomic status and potential invasiveness. Brazilian specimens of A. ovalifolius had been so far misidentifi ed as A. vaginalis. We also present here the fi rst records of the genus Alysicarpus in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, and provide an identifi cation key to the two species of Alysicarpus that occur in Brazil.

Pesquisa desenvolvida no âmbito do projeto PELD BISC. Brazilian Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) Atlantic Forest Network [CNPq 457451/2012-9]; CNPq/Capes/FAPs/BC-Fundo Newton/PELD [number 15/ 2016]. Ruellia reitzii was first collected in 1948 by the prominent botanist Raulino Reitz in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, and the species was only known from two gatherings. Because its most recent collection was in 1953, the species was considered possibly extinct. In this work we present the rediscovery of this species, 65 years after its last collection. Here we complement and rectify the morphologic knowledge of the species, present the first photographs of living specimens and assess its conservation status. We also present notes on the authorship of the name R. squarrosa, and provide an identification key to the species of Ruellia that occur in Santa Catarina.

The genus Euphorbia is among the most diverse and species-rich plant genera on Earth, exhibiting a near-cosmopolitan distribution and extraordinary chemical diversity, especially across highly toxic macro-and polycyclic diterpenoids. However, very little is known about drivers and evolutionary origins of chemical diversity within Euphorbia. Here, we investigate 43 Euphorbia species to understand how geographic separation over evolutionary time has impacted chemical differentiation. We show that the structurally highly diverse Euphorbia diterpenoids are significantly reduced in species native to the Americas, compared to the Eurasian and African continents, where the genus originated. The localization of these compounds to young stems and roots suggest ecological relevance in herbivory defense and immunomodulatory defense mechanisms match diterpenoid levels, indicating chemoevolutionary adaptation to reduced herbivory pressure.One Sentence SummaryGlobal chemo-evolutionary adaptation of Euphorbia affected immunomodulatory defense mechanisms.

Sobre la base de un ejemplar de herbario recolectado a 1100 m.s.n.m., en el estado de Santa Catarina, Brasil, se describe e ilustra una nueva especie del género Oxypetalum R. Br. (Apocynaceae). Se provee información sobre su estado de conservación y se brindan observaciones ecológicas. Se discuten las similitudes y diferencias con especies afines. Based on herbarium material collected at 1100 m.a.s.l. in the Santa Catarina State, Brazil, a new species of Oxypetalum R. Br. (Apocynaceae) is here described and illustrated. Its conservation status is assessed and information on its ecology are provided. Similarities and differences with related species are discussed Fil: Keller, Hector Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste; Argentina Fil: Funez, Luis A.. Universidade Regional de Blumenau; Brasil

The premise of this study is to present the collection of the FURB herbarium, its collection area and type specimens, as well as its projects and contributions to the flora of the Subtropical Atlantic Forest. The FURB herbarium currently has nearly 41,000 records of vascular plants and has the largest collection of lycophytes and ferns in Southern Brazil, with more than 8,000 records. More than 4,500 scanned images of 4,436 species are available online, and it is expected that the whole collection will be scanned in less than one year. There are 198 families of angiosperms, 33 of ferns, three of lycophytes and six of gymnosperms. All collections of the Floristic and Forest Inventory of Santa Catarina project are recorded in FURB, which represents almost 35,000 herbarium specimens. The families with the largest number of species are: Cyperaceae (109 species), Rubiaceae (129), Solanaceae (131), Poaceae (155), Melastomataceae (157), Myrtaceae (257), Orchidaceae (288), Fabaceae (323), and Asteraceae (426), between angiosperms. Among the ferns and lycophytes are: Hymenophyllaceae (30), Thelypteridaceae (31), Aspleniaceae (32), Dryopteridaceae (43), Pteridaceae (54) and Polypodiaceae (60). There are five type specimens among them: one holotype, one isotype and three paratypes. To date, the FURB herbarium has donated 19,521 herbarium duplicates for identification or expansion of other herbaria.

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In the present study, the effects were evaluated of alkaloid fractions (AFs) from Psychotria species and correlated genera, Palicourea and Rudgea, on monoamine oxidases (MAOs) and cholinesterases (ChEs). By HPLC-DAD and UPLC-DAD-MS analyses, indole alkaloids (IA) were detected in all AFs. For the Psychotria and Palicourea species, these IA corresponded to tetrahydro-β-carboline alkaloids (THβCA). On the other hand, pyrrolidinoindoline core compounds were observed for Rudgea species. Regarding their pharmacological activities, none of the AFs was able to inhibit AChE. However, the BChE activity was impaired by the Psychotria and Palicourea AFs. In addition, MAO-A was inhibited by both AFs, but only Psychotria nemorosa AF was able to inhibit significantly MAO-B. Rudgea AFs demonstrated a poor inhibitory profile on MAO-A. Taken together, our results highlighted the Psychotria and Palicourea genera as important sources of scaffolds for the development of MAO-A and BChE inhibitors aiming at the treatment of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.

This paper aim to characterize the herbaceous and shrub species diversity of Parque Nacional da Serra do Itajaí (PNSI). We identified 643 herbaceous and shrub species distributed in 110 families being the most representative family Asteraceae (62 species), Melastomataceae (49) and Rubiaceae (30), besides a two new records for Santa Catarina (Thelypteris glaziovii T.F. Reed and Pseudelephantopus spiralis Cronquist). We recorded 22 exotic species. Thus, due to the vast diversity of life and the rather large territory, PNSI is one of the most important spots for biodiversity conservation in Santa Catarina.