Fabaceae from a Vegetational Fragment of the Maranhão Amazon, Brazil.

The research aimed to know the diversity of Fabaceae in a vegetational fragment of the Maranhão Amazon in the municipality of Nova Olinda do Maranhão. Collections were carried out on random trails to obtain botanical material and analysis of material already cataloged for the region in Brazilian herbaria, being identified with the help of specialized material, taxonomic keys and determination by specialists. We sampled 51 specimens, 29 genera and 47 species recognized in five subfamilies. The subfamily Papilionoideae was the most representative with 28 species. As for life habit, it was observed that the subshrub habit was predominant. Seven endemic species of the Brazilian Amazon were cataloged and three new occurrences of Fabaceae were recorded for Maranhão. A taxonomic identification key and photographic plate of the species were elaborated. The data obtained here show a high diversity of Fabaceae in the Amazonian fragments of Nova Olinda do Maranhão. The results demonstrate the importance of the Fabaceae family for the Maranhão and Brazilian Amazon, demonstrating the need for new floristic surveys in the region.