Ericaceae of the Serra Negra, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Serra Negra is a fragment of the Mantiqueira Range located among Lima Duarte, Santa Barbara do Monte Verde, Rio Preto and Olaria, with altitudes between 800 and 1700 m. The vegetation is represented by a mosaic of forests and field environments, of which the “campo rupestre” must be highlighted, due to its occurrence in the whole altitudinal range in the area. A wide floristic study was conducted between the years 2003 and 2014 and the collected specimens were deposited in the Herbarium Leopoldo Krieger (CESJ), of the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. The aim of the present study was to conduct a floristic and taxonomic inventory to the family Ericaceae of the Serra Negra. It were recorded eight species belonging to three genera, of which Gaylussacia and Agarista were the richest, with four and three species, respectively, and Gaultheria represented by just one species. Identification keys, descriptions, illustrations of diagnostic characters, and comments of geographic distribution, ecological and taxonomic are provided.