THE ARECACEAE FAMILY (PALM TREES) IN THE LAVRAS COUNTY, MG

Abstract

This work identified the species of Arecaceae that occur in the County of Lavras, MG and elaborated a dichotomous analytical key for the species found. The survey was carried out in two stages: (1) survey the main squares and gardens (municipal and privately owned); (2) survey of the species close to the margins of the Lavras County federal, state and municipal highways. The palm trees found were photographed and identified in loco or through herbarium survey and related literature. Thirty nine species were found, 5 of which are native, distributed in 25 genera. The genera with the higher numbers of species were Syagrus (6), Dypsis (3) and Roystonea (3), making up 31.58% of the species. The native species Acrocomia aculeata and Syagrus romanzoffiana occur in most edges of the travelled roads. In the survey done in the main squares and gardens, the species of the genus Dypsis, Syagrus romanzoffina, Phoenix roebelenii and Caryota urens stood out.