DIVERSIDADE MORFOLÓGICA DAS ESPÉCIES DE OXALIDACEAE DO ESTADO DO PIAUÍ

Abstract

Oxalidaceae, a member of the fabidea clade, has five genera with a cosmopolitan distribution, being more diverse in South America, and having species whose use is ornamental and sometimes used in food and folk medicine. In Brazil, as well as in the state of Piauí, there are few studies on the morphological, taxonomic and floristic distribution of species in this family. Therefore, this study was based on the morphological analysis of phytotherapeutic material in order to contribute to knowledge about the state's flora. The methodology was based on the analysis of digital databases, in addition to observing photos of exsiccates from the collections visited and active search in specialized bibliography. Thirteen species were recorded with wide distribution in the two biomes of the state of Piauí, cerrado and caatinga. It is noteworthy that regionally the genus Oxalis was the most representative. The most relevant characteristics for morphological differentiation were: habit, clothing, type of leaf, color of flowers, typology of inflorescences and morphology of capsules and seeds. The study focused mainly on determining the species and their characteristics to understand the current scenario of diversity of morphological characters in the floristic context for Oxalidaceae in Piauí.