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Abstract Parablechnum cordatum (Blechnaceae) exhibits significant morphological variability, with many species considered as its synonyms, and is treated as a species complex by several authors. In this study, we offer a comprehensive revision of the taxon and an updated circumscription of Parablechnum usterianum, a species frequently confused with P. cordatum, leading to a refined understanding of species delimitation. Our analysis, based on morphological and spore micro- and ultrastructural examination of Brazilian specimens within the complex, recognizes three distinct species: Parablechnum cordatum s.s., Parablechnum brasiliense, and Parablechnum regnellianum, the latter being treated as a synonym but now resurrected with a new combination. Here, we present a key to the species, along with detailed descriptions, diagnostic images, distribution maps, lectotypifications, synonymies, and nomenclatural clarifications.

Abstract We present here new discoveries in Blechnaceae (Polypodiopsida). There are new records in Austroblechnum, Blechnum, Cranfillia, and Parablechnum for different political units and areas of the Neotropics. These (and other) records are reported here, alongside with two new necessary combinations in Parablechnum and an updated key to the Brazilian species of the genus. Also, an update of Blechnum description was made.

Abstract Fern spores play a vital role in dispersal. The unique features of spores, such as size, thickness, and ornamentation can aid in taxonomic decisions and division of groups. Moreover, certain species of ferns possess green spores containing chlorophyll, an uncommon feature that can reinforce the evidence of relatedness within a specific group. Lomaria spannagelii is a Neotropical species endemic to Brazil, and, even though green spores have been reported in its sister species, Lomaria nuda and Lomaria discolor, the presence of these spores has not yet been investigated in L. spannagelii. In this study, we investigated the morphology of L. spannagelii spores and sporangia, and, additionally, we determined the chromosome count of the species. Our results showed that the analyzed species has green spores, a characteristic shared with L. nuda and L. discolor, and has 2n = 64 chromosomes. This discovery provides new insights into this fern genus and emphasizes the importance of spore color and chromosome count in systematic and evolutionary studies of ferns.

Abstract Ferns and lycophytes are plants often overlooked in most floristic inventories, leading to considerable gaps in the knowledge of their diversity and geographic distribution. To address this issue, we conducted a study aimed at reducing these gaps for the restingas of Santa Catarina, south Brazil. This involved conducting a series of field works in strategic sites within the municipality of Laguna, representing all three main restingas phytophysiognomies (herbaceous/subshrubby, shrubby, and arboreal), across different abiotic conditions and conservation degrees. Two species of lycophytes (one family) and 31 ferns (14 families) were recorded in the restingas of Laguna, almost three-quarters of the diversity reported for the restingas of the state of Santa Catarina. Besides, 11 of these species are mentioned here for the first time for Santa Catarina restingas. These numbers were obtained through extensive field surveys, but considering the area of restinga remnants, some of which are still relatively unexplored, it is plausible that the diversity of ferns and lycophytes in Laguna may be even greater. These findings reinforce the need to carry out floristic surveys aimed at ferns and lycophytes in the different phytophysiognomies of the restinga, because only with an increase of sampling effort, considering the environmental heterogeneity, it will be possible to better estimate the diversity of these and other plant groups. This study also provides important data for the management and conservation of the restingas, which are among the ecosystems historically most impacted by human activities.

ABSTRACT The digital era provides new opportunities for taxonomists, as well as for everyone that studies biodiversity. Many herbaria have been able to digitize their collections, a process that started with the typing of label data, moving more recently towards the digitization of each sample with the simultaneous acquisition of high-resolution images. Here we discuss some of the challenges we faced in digitizing samples and provide a series of suggestions to avoid common mistakes for herbaria that have yet to start the process. We used a professional camera, database management software, and a barcode scanner to digitize the collections of herbaria CRI, ECT, FURB, LUSC, and UFRN. Pre-revision of samples with prior restoration when needed, barcode fixation, and a good database allowed faster digitization of samples. Good database software and the formation of a network among small herbaria accelerated digitization and increased the number of images available of Brazilian biodiversity. Thus far, our joint efforts made 118,000 specimen images available online with the purpose of accelerating botanical research.

ABSTRACT Nicotiana azambujae is an endemic species from Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil, that was described in 1964 and has not been seen since then. During fieldwork, we found a population in Alto Matador, about 70 km from the presumable type collection, after 73 years of its last known collection. Thus, we bring the first in vivo pictures of this species, assess its conservation status, update the morphologic description and discuss its habitat preferences. Also, we discuss a possible mistake in the type of voucher label from the originally collected locality.

ABSTRACT We describe a new species of Blechnum from Mato Grosso, Brazil: Blechnum rivulorum sp. nov. This new species was discovered as a result of visits to the herbaria BM, K, P, PR, and S, as part of the Reflora Project, by the first author. We also indicate its position in a new Blechnum phylogeny. Additionally, we confirm the occurrence of Blechnum meridense Klotzsch in Brazil and provide an updated key to all species of Blechnum in the country.

ABSTRACT Herbaria represent irreplaceable repositories of biodiversity and are used to answer questions about conservation, ecology, systematics, and other sciences. In this sense, we characterize the infrastructure, human resources, and idiosyncrasies of Brazilian herbaria. To achieve this goal, curators were sent a structured and standardized questionnaire to gather information about herbaria. The Brazilian Herbaria Network listed 216 active herbaria in the year 2018, of which 139 answered the questionnaire. These herbaria hold 6,741,469 samples in their collections and more than 39,000 type samples. Most herbaria are in federal universities (40.28 %). Only 24 % of the curators considered that their herbarium is valued by their institutions and 52 % indicated inadequate storage areas. Only nine collections have smoke sensors. Our analysis showed that if an herbarium has an institutional policy the curator is 78 % more likely to consider its herbarium valued. Therefore, it is important for all herbaria to institute their policy. These numbers reflect the difficulty in maintaining herbaria, in many cases cared for only by its curator without institutional recognition and support. Despite recent losses in Brazilian natural history collections, herbaria are still threatened by a lack of basic infrastructure.

ABSTRACT Tree ferns are important elements of tropical forests, mainly because they are common and provide microhabitats for epiphytic plants. Due to their ecological importance, the aim of this study was to evaluate population structure, distribution, and influence of environmental variables on tree ferns in the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. All tree ferns with a diameter at breast height ≥ 10 cm on 418 sampling units (SUs) systematically distributed throughout the study area were measured (total sampled area of 153.4 ha). Population structure was evaluated through classical phytosociological parameters and the relationships among dominance and environmental variables were evaluated through multiple linear regression models. Dicksonia sellowiana presented the greatest importance value among all species (IV = 13.19 %), followed by Alsophila setosa (IV = 4.37 %) and Cyathea phalerata (IV = 2.71 %). Altitude and mean rainfall of the driest quarter were significantly related to the dominance of D. sellowiana in most of the SUs. The mean temperature of the driest quarter and aspect were significantly related to the dominance of Cyatheaceae. Our study demonstrates that tree ferns are important elements of forest communities in the state of Santa Catarina.

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.

Accurate knowledge of floristic composition is crucial when planning and designing research projects and public policies. In this study, our goal was to assess tree sampling accuracy and to identify sites with higher concentrations of rare tree species, as well as those with the highest tree species richness, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. We determined sampling accuracy using the first-order jackknife and Chao 2 estimators, calculated the number of rare species (singletons and doubletons) and applied sampled-based rarefaction. We found that sample accuracy (estimated vs. observed values) was over 90% for the state as a whole, the best estimates having been obtained for the areas of rain forest (first-order jackknife: 91%; Chao 2: 95%). Of the tree species identified, 16.6% were considered rare in the state and only 4% were found in all forest types. Among the various forest types, semideciduous forests showed the highest proportions of rare tree species. Tree species richness was highest in the rain forests and lowest in the dwarf cloud forests. Our results make an important contribution to the conservation of tree species within one of the "hottest" biodiversity hotspots in the world.

Uma das unidades federativas com melhor conhecimento de sua flora, Santa Catarina é o primeiro estado a concluir o Inventário Florístico Florestal na atualidade. Coberto por Floresta Ombrófila Densa, Floresta Ombrófila Mista, Floresta Estacional Decidual e formações associadas, possui grande riqueza de espécies. Este trabalho visa apresentar as espécies de pteridófitas coletadas nas 563 unidades amostrais visitadas. Ao todo 324 espécies foram registradas, das quais 300 são samambaias e 24, licófitas. Estas pertencem a 29 famílias e 94 gêneros, sendo as famílias com maior riqueza específica Polypodiaceae (48 espécies), Pteridaceae (42) e Dryopteridaceae (38). Os gêneros com maior diversidade de espécies foram Asplenium e Thelypteris, com 27 espécies, seguido por Blechnum com 15. Destacam-se ainda 75 espécies consideradas endêmicas para o bioma. 18 registros novos para a flora de Santa Catarina foram feitos. A distribuição por região fitoecológica é a que segue: 288 espécies para a Floresta Ombrófila Densa (128 exclusivas desta região fitoecológica), 177 para a Floresta Ombrófila Mista (30 exclusivas) e 57 para a Floresta Estacional Decidual (três exclusivas). Foram registradas ainda 17 espécies para a restinga. Destaca-se a importância do registro de Asplenium lacinulatum, espécie coletada em área de intensa exploração imobiliária e novo registro para Santa Catarina e Alansmia senilis primeiro registro para o Sul do Brasil.Santa Catarina is the first Brazilian state to complete its Forest and Floristic Inventory, and is considered one of the states with a well-known flora. This region is covered by evergreen tropical rain forest, Araucaria forest, seasonal deciduous forest and associated ecosystems, and shows high species richness. This paper presents a list of ferns collected in 563 sampling units. Altogether, 324 species were recorded (300 ferns and 24 lycophytes), which belong to 29 families and 94 genera. The most diverse families are Polypodiaceae (49 species), Pteridaceae (42), and Dryopteridaceae (38). Asplenium and Thelypteris are the most diverse genera, with 27 species each, followed by Blechnum (15). Of importance, too, are the 75 species considered endemic to the biome. Eighteen new records for the flora of Santa Catarina were made. The distribution of species according to the vegetation type is the following: 288 species occur in evergreen tropical rainforest (of which 128 are exclusive to this vegetation type); 177 species in Araucaria forest (30 exclusively) and 57 species in seasonal deciduous forest (3 exclusively). In addition, 17 species were recorded for restinga. A collection of Asplenium lacinulatum, from an area of intense development, is first record for Santa Catarina, and another of Alansmia senilis is the first record for the South Region of Brazil.

A intensa exploração comercial de Dicksonia sellowiana a deixaram na categoria de ameaçada de extinção, sendo incluída na lista brasileira de espécies da flora ameaçada de extinção. Por isso, o presente trabalho visa apresentar o estudo da distribuição das populações de D. sellowiana para apontar os locais de maior ocorrência da espécie em Santa Catarina, e avaliar a relação da densidade populacional com fatores ambientais, como altitude e clima. Foram instaladas 225 unidades amostrais, com 4.000 m² nas regiões do planalto e oeste catarinense, baseadas na grade de 10 km x 10 km conforme procedimento do Inventário Florístico Florestal de Santa Catarina. Nestas 225 unidades amostrais, D. sellowiana foi encontrada em 94, com variação de um a 391 indivíduos. A grande densidade da espécie em áreas mais elevadas (superiores a 1.000 m) está relacionada com os dados climáticos que influenciam a população diretamente, apontados pelo Critério de Informação de Akaike corrigido, ou seja, a altitude e a variação de temperatura que ela provoca. Observou-se também, que a espécie apresenta maior concentração da população nos menores intervalos de altura e diâmetro, chegando a elevadas densidades com até 977 indivíduos/ha em algumas áreas. As informações obtidas pelo inventário sobre esta espécie possibilitam indicar medidas de conservação para a espécie, como área a serem conservadas e apoio a produtores rurais.The intense exploitation of Dicksonia sellowiana has led this species to become endangered and to be included on the red list of threatened species. Therefore, this paper presents a study of D. sellowiana populations in Santa Catarina State, and points out the places where it occurs the most, the status of these populations and also evaluates the relationship between density, climatic variables and elevation. Two hundred and twenty-five sample plots, which were 4.000 m² each, were located within the study area and based on a 10 x 10 km grid according to procedures of the Forest and Floristic Inventory of Santa Catarina. Dicksonia sellowiana was found in 94 of these plots, where it ranged from 1 to 391 individuals. The density of the species at higher elevations (above 1.000 m) seemed to be related to climatic data that directly influences the populations, as pointed out by the corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc). This study also found that the species populations exhibit high densities in the lower height and diameter ranges, reaching values up to 977 individuals/ha in some stands. The information obtained during this study makes it possible to suggest conservation measures for this species, such as areas to be conserved in a way that supports small farms.

ABSTRACT Estimating species richness with herbarium data and new collections allows us to understand the distribution of diversity. We investigated the accuracy of lycophyte and fern sampling along a vegetation gradient in the subtropical Atlantic Forest in southern Brazil. We compiled lycophyte and fern collection metadata and estimated species richness and assessed sampling accuracy for sixty 50 x 50 km units using ACE, Chao 1, Chao 2, Jackknife 1 and Jackknife 2 estimators. We compiled data for 12,779 fern specimens of 441 species, 67 of which were sampled in only one unit (singletons) and 35 in two units (duplicates). Of the 60 units examined, only 11 had observed values that were above 70% of their estimated values, and 14 had observed levels between 65-70% of the estimated values, meaning that 35 units had a sampling accuracy of less than 65%. In spite of the long history of lycophyte and fern collecting in the study area, there remain units with a lower than expected sampling accuracy for a subtropical forest. This finding indicates that a sizeable collection effort is needed in order to discover the actual distribution of species before the effects of fragmentation and deforestation become permanent.

Este estudo é resultado da amostragem sistemática da flora da floresta ombrófila mista em Santa Catarina, realizada em 155 pontos amostrais em toda a sua extensão e permite atualizar o conhecimento sobre a ocorrência de espécies. Foram registradas 925 espécies de espermatófitas, distribuídas em 439 gêneros e 116 famílias botânicas. A família com a maior riqueza específica foi Asteraceae (119 espécies), seguida por Myrtaceae (88), Fabaceae (58) e Solanaceae (52). Dentre as famílias restantes, 34 apresentaram somente uma e outras 27 tiveram duas espécies registradas. Os gêneros com maior número de espécies foram Solanum (31 espécies), Baccharis (27), Eugenia (23), Ocotea (21) e Myrcia (19). Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze, Butia eriospatha (Mart. ex Drude) Becc., Ocotea odorifera (Vell.) Rohwer e O. porosa (Nees & Mart.) Barroso são as espécies ameaçadas de extinção registradas. Entre todas as espécies do componente arbóreo ou arbustivo/subarbóreo, 56,5% são comuns a ambos os componentes e dentre as 194 espécies arbóreas citadas para o planalto catarinense, 157 foram amostradas pelo IFFSC. O levantamento florístico extra registrou 474 espécies de angiospermas a mais do que o levantamento nas unidades amostrais do IFFSC. O IFFSC amostrou um conjunto significativo das espécies do Domínio Floresta Atlântica. Estas coletas georreferenciadas e realizadas com uma amostragem sistemática e consistente, representam um importante avanço e atualização do conhecimento da flora de Santa Catarina. Inventários sistemáticos desta natureza são necessários às demais regiões no Sul do Brasil, para que se possa compor um banco de dados consistente e atualizado e possibilitar a implantação de políticas de conservação e manejo.

O presente trabalho visou apresentar e analisar a flora da Floresta Estacional Decidual em Santa Catarina, Brasil, tendo como fonte de dados os levantamentos realizados durante o Inventário Florístico Florestal de Santa Catarina. Foram avaliadas as espécies de indivíduos lenhosos de 79 unidades amostrais de 4.000 m². Foram feitas coletas extras de indivíduos férteis, no entorno e nas unidades amostrais, das demais formas de vida. Este esforço amostral registrou 420 espécies, abrangendo 90 famílias e 275 gêneros. Nas unidades amostrais, registrou-se 233 espécies, sendo 204 com diâmetro na altura do peito (DAP) > 10 cm e 162 com diâmetro na altura do peito DAP < 10 cm e altura > 1,50 m, portanto com espécies em comuns. A coleta de material extra registrou 332 angiospermas e uma gimnosperma (Araucaria angustifolia), demonstrando a importância de coletas externas às áreas previamente delimitadas. Entre as ameaçadas de extinção foram registradas Ocotea odorifera e Araucaria angustifolia.

Objetivou-se avaliar as espécies arbóreas raras e comuns da família Myrtaceae amostradas pelo Inventário Florístico Florestal de Santa Catarina na Floresta Estacional Decidual. Esta floresta ocorre ao longo do rio Uruguai e afluentes, sob baixas temperaturas no inverno e chuvas bem distribuídas ao longo do ano, com árvores do dossel e emergentes predominantemente caducifólias. Coletaram-se dados em 78 unidades amostrais com 0,40 ha cada, registrando-se árvores com diâmetro na altura do peito ≥ 10 cm. Utilizou-se a metodologia Rabinowitz para segregar as espécies em raras ou comuns, considerando três variáveis: distribuição geográfica, especificidade por habitat e tamanho populacional. Das 28 espécies amostradas, 78,57% (22 spp.) apresentaram alguma forma de raridade e 21,43% (6 spp.) foram comuns. As espécies de Myrtaceae na Floresta Estacional Decidual são, em geral, amplamente distribuídas, mas seletivas quanto ao habitat e possuem poucos indivíduos. Destacam-se três espécies consideradas raras na floresta avaliada: Eugenia subterminalis, Myrcianthes gigantea e Siphoneugena reitzii com um indivíduo cada. Campomanesia xanthocarpa foi a espécie mais comum. Todas as espécies avaliadas são zoocóricas e podem ser utilizadas em restauração ambiental.

Este trabalho apresenta o levantamento das espécies de Lycophyta e samambaias do Parque Nacional da Serra do Itajaí, Santa Catarina. O Parque possui, no total, 57.475 ha, com altitudes que variam de 150 a 940 m, sendo coberto por Floresta Ombrófila Densa. Foram identificados 190 táxons infragenéricos (185 espécies, três subespécies e duas variedades), pertencentes a 24 famílias e 73 gêneros. Os gêneros mais representativos foram: Asplenium (17 espécies), Thelypteris (10), Blechnum (8) e Lindsaea (7), além da grande riqueza de espécies de Dryopteridaceae e Polypodiaceae, com 23 e 29 espécies, respectivamente. menção especial deve ser feita para Terpsichore chrysleri (Proctor ex Copel.) A.R. Sm. e Polyphlebium hymenophylloides (Bosch) Ebihara & Dubuisson que representam em novas referências para Santa Catarina.

RESUMO As espécies raras são particularmente importantes do ponto de vista da conservação, ecologia e biologia evolutiva, além de ser frequentemente o foco para decisões políticas. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a raridade de Lauraceae amostradas pelo Inventário Florístico Florestal de Santa Catarina na Floresta Estacional Decidual e na Floresta Ombrófila Mista. Coletaram-se dados em 234 unidades amostrais com 0,40 ha cada, registrando-se árvores com diâmetro na altura de 1,30m ≥ 10 cm. Foi utilizada a metodologia Rabinowitz para segregar as espécies em raras ou comuns, considerando três variáveis: distribuição geográfica, especificidade por habitat e tamanho populacional. Das 37 espécies, 59,46% apresentaram raridade e 40,54% foram comuns. Classificou-se 56,76% das espécies como euritópica e 59,46% eurioica. Das espécies, 2,70% foram exclusivas da Floresta Estacional Decidual, 67,57% exclusivas da Floresta Ombrófila Mista e 29,73% ocorreram em ambas. Esta análise colaborou para a compreensão da raridade das espécies da região estudada e pode contribuir para ações de conservação dessa família no planalto catarinense, uma vez que a maior parte das espécies é de alguma forma rara e o cenário atual é de intenso processo de fragmentação florestal.

This study presents the list of species of Evergreen Rainforest in Santa Catarina, based on 202 sample units established by the Floristic and Forest Inventory of Santa Catarina, in order to study the tree/shrub component and regeneration in addition to a floristic survey outside the sample units. We recorded 1,473 species: three gymnosperms and 1,470 angiosperms, that totalize 19% of all species quoted for this Brazilian forest type. The most species-rich families were Orchidaceae (143 species), Myrtaceae (142), Asteraceae (98), Melastomataceae (86), Fabaceae (78), Rubiaceae (65), Solanaceae (61), Bromeliaceae (57), Piperaceae (56), and Lauraceae (52). Among them are eight species listed in the Official List of Endangered Species of the Brazilian Flora: Aechmea blumenavii, Araucaria angustifolia, Billbergia alfonsijoannis, Euterpe edulis, Heliconia farinosa, Ocotea catharinensis, O. odorifera and, O. porosa.

Abstract In this study, we examined the distribution and conservation status of understory palms in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina using data collected by the Floristic and Forest Inventory of Santa Catarina (IFFSC). Understory palms were systematically sampled within sampling units (SU) distributed over a state-wide 10 × 10 km grid. Among the 206 total SU monitored by IFFSC within Pluvial and Coastal Forest, 86% (n=177 SU) contained understory palms, comprising 1738 individuals from the following species: Bactris setosa, Geonoma elegans, G. gamiova, and G. schottiana. To explore the conservation status of understory palm populations in Santa Catarina, we overlaid a map of federal priority conservation areas on top of IFFSC distribution data for understory palms. Conservation priority levels defined by the Brazilian Environmental Agency (MMA) are rated Extremely High, Very High, High and Insufficiently Known. Ninety-four percent of the SU containing understory palms overlapped priority conservation areas, highlighting the centrality of understory palms in biodiversity conservation. Despite the wide distribution of understory palm communities in Santa Catarina, intense scrutiny of forest remnants is necessary in view of sensitivity to environmental disturbance, so as to guarantee the maintenance of understory palm populations and their ecosystem services.