Floristic composition of a Neotropical inselberg from Espírito Santo state, Brazil: an important area for conservation

Our study on granitic and gneissic rock outcrops on Pedra dos Pontoes in Espirito Santo state contributes to the knowledge of the vascular floraof inselbergs in southeastern Brazil. We registered 211 species distributedamong 51 families and 130 genera. Orchidaceae, Bromeliaceaeand Polypodiaceaewere the most representative families. Concerning vegetative habit, herbs were predominant and about the preference for substrates, holorupicolous species and epiphyteswere most speciose. The richest rocky habitat type was woody thicket, with 122 exclusive species. In total, 27 of the species registered in our study are cited on official lists of endangered plant species from Espirito Santo state and Brazil. In addition, two new records of angiosperms for Espirito Santo floraand two new species were recorded for the area. Our data demonstrates the importance of the area for conservation of unique biodiversity that serves as a sanctuary for a rich rupicolous floracomposed of endemic and endangered species, some of which are new to science.