Plantas parasitas do Parque Nacional Serra de Itabaiana, Sergipe, Brasil

Parasitic plants are often considered as pests because they grow on other species affecting their quality. However, parasites are of utmost importance in natural ecosystems, serving as a food source for birds and other animals. Little is known about this group of plants in the state of Sergipe, so the present study sought to answer the following questions: (i) How many and who are the parasitic species that occur in the Serra de Itabaiana PARNA? (ii) What is the degree of infestation of these species? (iii) How are species structured at the study site? The work was developed at the Serra de Itabaiana PARNA, where the species were quantified and collected, herborized and deposited in the ASE herbarium of the Federal University of Sergipe, Sao Cristovao, SE. In all, 12 species were sampled, belonging to four genera and three families. Phoradendron chrysocladon had the highest value of importance at the site, followed by Cassytha filiformis and Phoradendron quadrangulare. The degree of infestation of parasitic species in the Serra de Itabaiana PARNA ranged from low to medium and the study contributed with two new occurrence records for the state of Sergipe: Psittacanthus excrenulatus and Phoradendron perrottetii.