Ornamental plants in the FLORAS Botanical Garden

Abstract

A botanical garden is a space that provides ex situ conservation of biodiversity, keeping living plants. The FLORAS Botanical Garden (JBFLORAS) occupies the Sosígenes Costa campus (CSC) of the Federal University of Southern Bahia (UFSB) and has a remnant of the Atlantic Forest. The work was carried out at the CSC–UFSB, in Porto Seguro, Bahia, Brazil. This area was previously occupied by the Centro Cultural e de Eventos do Descobrimento. Collections were carried out in the campus gardens and forest from March/2017 to February/2018. The plants were herborized and incorporated to the Prof. Geraldo C.P. Pinto (GCPP) Herbarium. Eighty-six species of ornamental plants were identified, distributed in 78 genera and 39 families. The most diverse families in number of species were: Arecaceae and Leguminosae (6 species); Asparagaceae, Bignoniaceae, and Orchidaceae (5 species); and Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Myrtaceae, and Rubiaceae (4 species). The predominant habit was herbaceous (29 species), followed by arboreal (25 species), and shrub (20 species). Ten native plant species with ornamental potential present in the Atlantic Forest fragment of JBFLORAS were surveyed. Most of the cultivated species (53.5%) are of exotic origin and 46.5% are native to the Atlantic Forest. It is suggested to introduce other native species to the Botanical Garden in order to enrich ex situ conservation and enhance the use of native plants.