Mirtáceas arbóreas nativas no cotidiano de agroecossistemas familiares na Serra dos Tapes, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

The selection, domestication and adaptation of plant species for centuries has generated accumulationof knowledge, which forms the basis of ethnobotany and has been suffering froman erosion process. The family Myrtaceae has about 5,774 species, (979 in Brazil and 89 inRio Grande do Sul) occurring in all continents, in the most diverse habitats. The uses attributedto tree species of the family Myrtaceae were studied from the perspective of four peasants inthe municipality of Pelotas/RS, in the region known as Serra dos Tapes. The food, wood, energyand medicinal uses of 14 species were investigated, and the most cited use among the fourinterviews was food, with 35 citations for 12 species.