Diversity and usage of cultivated plants in home backyards of Fanny neighborhood, Curitiba, PR State, Brazil

Abstract

Home backyards can be considered as a source of food’s production and as well as a way to improve the cities’ microclimates, because they can increase the urban biodiversity. However, it is important to point out the increasing of invasive plants in urban areas, which can put on risk the fewest natural ecosystems that surround the cities. This study inventoried the plants (vegetables, medicinal or ornamental) from home backyards of Fanny, Curitiba, PR, Brazil, identified the number of native and exotic plant species, identified and quantified the invasive exotic plants found in the home backyards, and calculated the species richness index. The plants were classified and identified through interviews, botanical guidelines and consultancies from the herbarium of Botanical Museum of Curitiba. The origin of the plants (native or exotic) was identified and the invasive exotic plants were classified according to the invasive exotic plants’ list from Hórus Institute. The study used the species richness index. The 149 home backyards visited had 339 plant species identified, among them, 108 identified as food, 54 identified as medicinal and 201 species as ornamental. Only 5.015% of the total plants species are native to Curitiba’s natural ecosystem and 19 species were identified as invasive exotic plants. The index of species richness showed up a variation between 0 nats to 41.92 nats.