Floristic survey of the Asteraceae from Campo de Instrução de Santa Maria, Santa Maria municipality, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, with observations on preferential habitats

Abstract

Asteraceae, the largest of plant families, has cosmopolitan distribution, being particularly well-represented in grasslands. Despite being an important family in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul in terms of number of species, no floristic study focusing on the family had so far been performed in Santa Maria municipality. The site chosen for the study is the Campo de Instrução de Santa Maria, which has a wide variety of environments ranging from grasslands on higher or lower level of degradation to isolated marshes. We recorded 70 species distributed over 42 genera and 14 tribes. Most species occurred exclusively in grasslands, yet with no preference for dry or wet environments. The majority of collected species was represented by subshrubs and herbs; additionally, we recorded ten shrubs and only three twining vines. The number of collected species is close to that reported by other studies conducted in sites exposed to human intervention, and thus reiterates the importance of the family in the grasslands from southern Brazil.