Structural Studies as support to the taxonomy of the genus Simaba Sect. Floribundae and S. sect. Grandiflorae (Simaroubaceae)

Abstract

The Simaroubaceae family is a group with great potential of study. With distribution exclusively tropical, and is considered a relatively small group within the Order Sapindales and monophyletic, however morphologically diverse. Only Engler at the end of the nineteenth century, studied in detail the family in Brazil as a whole, and since then the additions to knowledge of the group has been gradually and piecemeal. This project of structural studies of species of Simaba (largest genus of the family) will focus on the species of the sections Floribundae and Grandiflorae in order to select morphological and anatomical characters to assist the work of taxonomy of this genus, which does not receive taxonomic treatment since a revision published in 1983, aiming to better delineate between species that exhibit great morphological similarity, although belonging to the same group. The project involves morphological and anatomical analysis of the material of some major herbaria that house collections of the species under study, in addition to performing fieldwork to collect new specimens and make observations of populations in nature. The study of leaf architecture will be accomplished through Diafanization practices and use of pattern classification venation proposed for the Leaf Architecture Working Group (1999). The study of floral structures will be done through comparative analysis of the morphology and anatomy of flowers in different stages of development of species belonging to sections Floribundae Grandiflorae and analyzed in optical microscopy and scanning electron. The final work will consist of three articles dealing with problematic species groups selected, which will include species descriptions, analyzes and illustrations (drawings and photographs) of floral and vegetative structures with emphasis on characters diagnoses. The work will be developed in the Laboratories of Plant Systematics and Plant Anatomy Institute of Biociencias - USP.