Vinicius Souza

Vinicius Souza
University of São Paulo | USP · Departamento de Ciências Biológicas (LCB) (ESALQ)

PhD

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258
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Introduction
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Publications

Publications (258)
Article
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Over the last two centuries, since the treatment of Leguminosae in Flora Brasiliensis, many new legume species and genera have been described, adding to the accumulated body of knowledge on species’ circumscriptions and distribution, published in monographs, taxonomic revisions and regional floristic treatments of specific Brazilian phytogeographic...
Preprint
Full-text available
Native timber production offers a promising pathway to make large-scale tropical forest restoration financially viable. However, there are still many gaps in knowledge on this subject. This study develops species-specific growth models for three valuable and threatened native timber species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest – Cariniana legalis , D...
Article
We describe a new phyllocladiferous species of Phyllanthus, which is endemic to the Minas Gerais state, Brazil, and is found within the Serra Nova State Park. This new species has cylindrical phylloclades, like those of P. choretroides, another endemic species in Minas Gerais, and P. goianensis and P. chapadensis, both exclusive to the state of Goi...
Article
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The Ibitipoca Mountains occur in southeastern Minas Gerais state, Southeast Brazil, and includes a mosaic of different vegetation types, as part of the Atlantic Forest domain. Such heterogeneity results in the occurrence of several ecotones in the region, considered essential buffer zones for maintaining biodiversity and structure among adjacent ec...
Article
Eugenia includes ca. 1,100 species worldwide and is the richest angiosperm genus of Brazilian flora with a remarkable biodiversity in the Atlantic Rainforest. In Espírito Santo state, the central-north region conserves the biggest forest fragment and is composed by the lowland coastal forests known as Tabuleiro. Considering the scarcity of studies...
Article
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The new species Eugenia stenocarpa Valdemarin & A.Maruy. is described and illustrated. It is nested within Eugenia sect. Speciosae but is distinguished from other species in the section by the combination of its sparsely puberulent and glabrescent young twigs, revolute leaf margin with a thickened yellow edge, flowers with pubescent hypanthium, and...
Article
The pantropical genus Connarus is the largest within Connaraceae and comprises ca. 80 species, most of which occur in the Neotropics. The genus is potentially economically important as several taxa produce metabolites of medicinal interest. Morphologically, Connarus differs from other members of the family mainly by the punctate perianth, the singl...
Article
Full-text available
Phyllanthaceae é uma família restabelecida desde o APG II, sendo que, tradicionalmente, o maior gênero que a compõe é Phyllanthus. Todavia, a família passou por diversas alterações taxonômicas e filogenéticas nos últimos anos que alteraram a sua circunscrição infragenérica, tendo, atualmente, duas abordagens: uma que considera Phyllanthus como o ma...
Article
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The aquatic and wetland plant genus Bacopa contains species that are found worldwide, with a center of diversity in the Americas. Although there have been regional taxonomic studies of the genus, a global synthesis is lacking. Variation in morphological features across species has complicated efforts to determine species boundaries and circumscribe...
Article
Biodiversity is declining globally, yet many biodiversity hotspots still lack comprehensive species conservation assessments. Using multiple International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria to evaluate extinction risks and millions of herbarium and forest inventory records, we present automated conservation assessments for al...
Article
Biodiversity is declining globally, yet many biodiversity hotspots still lack comprehensive species conservation assessments. Using multiple International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List criteria to evaluate extinction risks and millions of herbarium and forest inventory records, we present automated conservation assessments for al...
Article
Full-text available
The latest phylogenetic and taxonomic studies emphasizing Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) have significantly altered the relationships between its taxa. In this work, we inferred a phylogeny for the Brazilian phyllocladiferous species of Phyllanthus, traditionally included within Phyllanthus sects. Choretropsis and Xylophylla from eastern Brazil and C...
Article
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Senna ser. Bacillares (Leguminosae, Cassieae) is the largest of the American Senna series, with approximately 50 species. Several taxa are still poorly known or with problematic delimitation. Based on extensive fieldwork and collection-based research for our ongoing taxonomic studies on Senna ser. Bacillares, we identified two new species which we...
Preprint
Full-text available
The latest phylogenetic and taxonomic studies emphasizing Phyllanthus (Phyllanthaceae) have significantly altered the relationships between its taxa. In this work, we inferred a phylogeny for the phyllocladiferous species of Phyllanthus , traditionally included within Phyllanthus sects. Choretropsis and Xylophylla from eastern Brazil and Caribbean,...
Article
Full-text available
A nomenclatural update for 20 names related to the genus Axonopus for the Brazilian flora is here presented. Axonopus comprises around 90, mostly New World, species characterized by having solitary spikelets in an inverted position. In order to stabilize the nomenclature and, based on thorough study of original collections and pertinent literature,...
Article
A taxonomic revision and nomenclatural update for Paspalum L., group Caespitosa are presented. The group Caespitosa consists of perennial species, usually rhizomatous, with culms simple, erect, inflorescences terminal, pauci-racemose, and spikelets mostly ellipsoid to ovoid or obovoid. It is distributed from the southern United States to northeaste...
Article
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The informal group Caespitosa of Paspalum L. comprises 13–15 perennial species that are able to tolerate extreme climatic stresses, such as prolonged droughts, floods, and saltwater. Previous molecular phylogenetic studies have suggested that the Caespitosa might not be monophyletic, but they did not analyze a large enough sample of taxa for a mean...
Article
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The Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Iron Quadrangle [IQ]), in Minas Gerais, Brazil, exhibits high geological and geomorphological diversity, reflected by its high heterogeneity of vegetation. Its rock outcrops, particularly ironstone, harbor endemic-rich plant communities and contribute substantially to the biodiversity of the biomes they are embedded with...
Article
Full-text available
The Quadrilátero Ferrífero (Iron Quadrangle [IQ]), in Minas Gerais, Brazil, exhibits high geological and geomorphological diversity, reflected by its high heterogeneity of vegetation. Its rock outcrops, particularly ironstone, harbor endemic-rich plant communities and contribute substantially to the biodiversity of the biomes they are embedded with...
Article
Full-text available
Non-monophyly is a prominent issue in mimosoid legumes, even in some of the less speciose genera such as the neotropical genus Stryphnodendron. This genus includes 35 species occurring from Nicaragua to Southern Brazil mostly in humid forests and savannas. Previous taxonomic studies of Stryphnodendron have highlighted morphologically distinct group...
Article
A new species popularly known as pitanga-amarela, Eugenia paranapanemensis, from Seasonal Forest vegetation in the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo state is described. Our analysis, based on morphological data, shows that this species belongs to Eugenia sect. Eugenia. Among the species in the Eugenia sect. Eugenia clade, E. paranapanemensis can be reco...
Article
Connarus is a primarily pantropical genus comprised of approximately 85 species. Most of them are distributed exclusively in the Neotropics, where wide distributions are common for the Amazonian species, whereas those of the Atlantic Forest are more restricted to a given site. One example of the latter case is Connarus beyrichii, whose distribution...
Article
Stryphnodendron is a Neotropical genus of Fabaceae (Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade), comprising 36 taxa occurring from Nicaragua to Southern Brazil, most of them found and endemic in Brazil, being especially frequent in savannas (Cerrado) and the Amazon Forest. This synopsis presents the designation of 16 lectotypes, eight new synonyms, a new com...
Article
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Gratioleae are the most species-rich tribe of Plantaginaceae in the tropics, spanning c. 30 genera and > 300 species, with a wide range of morphological variation and ecological strategies. As a first effort towards a phylogenetic classification of Gratioleae we generated a new phylogenetic hypothesis with improved taxa sampling, based on one nucle...
Article
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The pantropical family Connaraceae includes 12-13 genera and about 200 species, with species richness centered in Amazonia and Atlantic Forest. Most neotropical species of this family occur in Brazil, where several taxa are exclusively found. In Espírito Santo (southeast Brazil), two genera (Connarus and Rourea) and nine species of Connaraceae occu...
Article
Full-text available
The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiver-sity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxo-nomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impedi...
Article
We describe Phyllanthus chapadensis, a new phyllocladiferous species of the genus Phyllanthus probable endemic to the Chapada dos Veadeiros region, Goiás, Brazil, in the Cerrado region. This region is located in Central Brazil with a high number of endemic Angiosperms, unique landscapes, and distinct and peculiar phytophysiognomies. The species des...
Article
A new species of Phyllanthus with phylloclades endemic to the State of Bahia is described here. Phyllanthus dracaenoides can be recognized for its peculiar habit that resembles a species of Dracaena, a very unusual height of up to 7 m, the plagiotropic phylloclades spirally arranged, and its vermiform cincinni. Notes on its habitat, taxonomic affin...
Article
Full-text available
The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiver-sity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxo-nomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impedi...
Chapter
Full-text available
This treatment includes the following taxa: Acanthaceae, Anisacanthus, Aphelandra, Asystasia, Avicennia, Brillantaisia, Chamaeranthemum, Clistax, Dicliptera, Dyschoriste, Elytraria, Encephalosphaera, Eranthemum, Fittonia, Graptophyllum, Harpochilus, Hemigraphis, Herpetacanthus, Hygrophila, Hypoestes, Justicia, Kalbreyeriella, Lepidagathis, Megaskep...
Article
Full-text available
Senna (Leguminosae, Cassiinae) is a speciose genus widely distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. During taxonomic studies of Senna sect. Chamaefistula ser. Bacillares , a new endemic and endangered species from the Atlantic Forest of Bahia,Brazil was discovered. The new species, Senna bahiensis , is compared with its...
Article
Introduction: Species of Connaraceae are globally used in traditional medicines. However, several of these have not been studied regarding their chemical composition, and some are even at risk of extinction without proper studies. Therefore, the chemical composition and pharmacological potential of Connarus blanchetii Planch., Connarus nodosus Bak...
Article
Plant phenology is rarely considered when selecting species used in restoration actions. However, considering the potential flowering and fruiting phenologies of species is a key point to: (i) evaluate the capacity of restoration actions in reestablishing ecological interactions (pollination and seed dispersal) and ecosystem functions (early germin...
Article
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An ongoing taxonomic revision of neotropical Connarus has identified three undescribed species of the genus, which are published here. One of them, C. foreroi, is known only from a single gathering from central Peru, probably reflecting scarcity of botanical inventories. Connarus revolutus, on the other hand, seems to be more com- mon, but it is re...
Article
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Angelonia Bonpl. in Humboldt & Bonpland (1809: 92) is the largest genus of the neotropical tribe Angelonieae of the Plantaginaceae, formerly included in the Scrophulariaceae, comprising ca. 30 species, and characterized by the strongly zygomorphic corolla with a saccate tube, internally covered with oil-producing trichomes (Souza & Giulietti 2009,...
Article
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Pombalia Vand. (Violaceae) is represented in the Cerrado by a well-supported monophyletic group of species known as the Pombalia lanata complex, characterised by some unique vegetative and reproductive features within the genus. This group includes six species-Pombalia cristalina, P. insignis, P. lanata, P. poaya, P. strigoides and P. velutina-the...
Article
During a taxonomic treatment of Stryphnodendron (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae, mimosoid clade) for the Brazilian Flora 2020 Project, one new presumably critically endangered species from the Atlantic Forest domain was found, and is so far only known to western Espírito Santo state. Stryphnodendron flavotomentosum is described and illustrated, and...
Book
Full-text available
The urge to organise the world around us is an essential part of human nature. Naming and categorising enable us to store and access information ef ciently. The need to name and categorise extends to the natural world and, in particular, to living organisms. The science underpinning this area of knowledge is called Taxonomy, and is as old as humani...
Article
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The pantropical genus Rourea Aubl. (Connaraceae) is composed of ca. 70 species, most of which occur in the Neotropics. Rourea is currently subdivided into three subgenera, with the American taxa included in Rourea subgen. Rourea. Forero (1976) recognised six sections for the species of the New World, with Rourea subgen. R. sect. Multifoliolatae bei...
Article
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A new species of Buchnera (Orobanchaceae) from Northeast Brazil is described and illustrated. Buchnera nordestina was first collected by Dr. Francisco Freire Allemão e Cysneiro ca. 160 years ago and remained undescribed until now. We provide notes on morphology, geographic distribution, and conservation status of the new species. Additionally, we p...
Article
Axonopus P. Beauv. comprises nearly 90, mostly New World, species characterized by having spikelets with the inverse position (i.e., the backs of the upper glume and the upper lemma turned away from the rachis). The genus has been divided into four sections, five series, and three subseries, based exclusively on morphological features. Previous phy...
Article
Endemic species are important for biodiversity conservation. Yet, quantifying endemism remains challenging because endemism concepts can be too strict (i.e., pure endemism) or too subjective (i.e., near endemism). We propose a data-driven approach to objectively estimate the proportion of records inside a given the target area (i.e., endemism level...
Article
During our studies on Eugenia of Espírito Santo state, Brazil, two new species came out of our attention being here described, illustrated and compared morphologically with their similar species. Eugenia mestrealvarensis can be easily recognised by its clusters of fascicules on trunk with pedicellate flowers, an unusual feature among the species of...
Article
During his expedition to South America, Eduard F. Poeppig collected about 17,000 botanical specimens, of which three belong to Connaraceae. These specimens were used to describe more than 500 species in the three volumes of Nova Genera ac Species Plantarum. In the third volume, Poeppig (1845) described two new species of Connaraceae: Omphalobium ru...
Article
While preparing a taxonomic revision of Pseuderanthemum in the Neotropics, three new species, P. australe, P. jundiaiense and P. leonardii, were identified. The descriptions and illustrations of the new species, information on their habitat, phenology and distribution, and comparisons to morphologically similar taxa are provided.
Article
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Matourea pratensis is a name published by Aublet in 1775 that has never been typified and whose identity has long been obscure. It was historically associated with Stemodia foliosa, as S. pratensis, a species with reported medical importance and wide distribution in the Neotropics. However, its morphology has also been interpreted as more similar t...
Article
We described a new species of Phyllanthus currently known from a single fragment of Ombrophilous Dense Forest in the Jequitinhonha Valley, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Phyllanthus pedicellatus is the second species of the genus with phylloclades found in the Atlantic Forest domain, once mostly Brazilian Phyllanthus with these kinds of specialized br...
Article
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Stemodia sensu lato is one of the largest genera of the Gratioleae (Plantaginaceae). Recent phylogenetic studies corroborated the paraphyly of Stemodia in its traditional circumscription and suggested the segregation of S. stellata from this genus. This species belongs to a morphologically cohesive group along with S. cipoensis, S. harleyi and S. l...
Article
Ethnopharmacological relevance An interdisciplinary scientific investigation of biologically active agents is fundamental to search for natural substances with therapeutic action. This review collected the most relevant information about traditional knowledge related to the use of plants of the Connaraceae family. This work is the first to compile...
Article
With approximately 75 species, about 50 of which occur in the Neotropics, Connarus is the largest genus of the pantropical family Connaraceae. It is morphologically separated from other genera of Connaraceae by its trifoliolate or imparipinnate leaves, perianth with glandular dots, a single carpel and dehiscent fruits. Here, we present an updated t...
Preprint
Full-text available
Endemic species are essential for setting conservation priorities. Yet, quantifying endemism remains challenging because endemism concepts can be too strict (i.e. pure endemism) or too subjective (i.e. near endemism). We use a data-driven approach to objectively estimate the proportion of records outside a given the target area (i.e. endemism level...
Article
Full-text available
A new species of Trichilia (Meliaceae) from Southeastern Brazil is here described, illustrated and compared to its closest related species. Trichilia arenaria sp. nov. is morphologically similar to T. casaretti, T. elegans and T. pallens. An identification key and comparison table for T. arenaria and those three species from Atlantic Forest of Espí...
Book
A Mata Atlântica se estende ao longo do litoral brasileiro, de norte a sul do país. Essa ampla distribuição, ao longo de diferentes gradientes de temperatura e altitude, resultou em uma flora riquíssima, formando um mosaico de tipos de vegetação que se inicia na linha de praia e segue até o interior do continente. Nessa porção mais interiorana, ond...
Article
Two new species of Connarus are here described and illustrated: C. aureus and C. tomentosus. These taxa are until now known only to the Atlantic Forest in Southeastern Brazil. Diagnostic characteristics of the new species and an identification key of Connarus from Bahia and Espírito Santo states are provided, along with information on their habitat...
Article
Myrciaria (Myrtaceae) species are distributed exclusively in the New World and the genus presents its highest diversity in Brazil, particularly in the Atlantic Forest domain. Myrciaria alta, from the montane region of southeastern Brazil, is herein described, illustrated, and compared to its closest related species, Myrciaria glomerata. Moreover, d...
Article
A nomenclatural update for eight species of Paspalum L. group Caespitosa is here presented. This informal group presently comprises 16 species distributed from the southern United States to northern Argentina. Its species are characterized by having a caespitose habit, culms simple, and spikelets mostly ellipsoid. We analyzed the protologues of all...
Article
While developing taxonomic studies about Connaraceae in Brazil, two new species of Rourea were discovered. Rourea barbata and R. prostrata are here described and illustrated. The new taxa belong to Rourea subgen. Rourea sect. Multifoliolatae and comparisons to morphologically similar species are provided, along with notes on their distribution, hab...
Article
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Here we describe and illustrate Dizygostemon riparius (Plantaginaceae, Gratioleae) as a new species from the state of Maranhão, northeastern Brazil. We present morphological and micromorphological descriptions and comparisons, along with illustrations, photographs, and information on its taxonomy, habitat, geographic distribution and conservation s...
Article
Two species of Eugenia from the Brazilian Atlantic coastal forest of Bahia and Espírito Santo are here described. Eugenia atlantica is most similar to E. bahiensis from which differs by its leaf blades usually larger, 80–180 × 35–70 mm, and chartaceous, inflorescence mostly axillary, flower buds with hypanthium costate to slightly costate and calyx...
Article
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Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no Jardim Botânico Municipal Prefeito Carrol Meneghel, localizado em Americana (SP), que apresenta área de 85 mil metros quadrados, com vegetação formada por cerca de 8,5 mil árvores e palmeiras, a maioria das quais plantada nos últimos 10 anos, incluindo espécies nativas e exóticas. Foram identificados aproximadament...
Article
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O presente trabalho é referente ao levantamento das espécies contidas na arborização viária da Estância de Águas de São Pedro-SP e sua distribuição. Para isso, foram inventariados todos os indivíduos ocorrentes nas vias públicas; o que totalizou 3.654 indivíduos. Destes, 70,85% são árvores, 19,90% arbustos, 6,05% palmeiras e 3,20% coníferas; perfaz...
Article
A new species of Eugenia sect. Umbellatae (Myrtaceae, Myrteae) from the Atlantic forest of Espírito Santo, Brazil is proposed: Eugenia ochracea. It is most similar to Eugenia crassa and Eugenia barrana, and the presence mainly of floccose indumentum on leaves and lanceolate to linear bracteoles allow us to propose it as new. Comments on its distrib...
Article
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Lafoensia pacari A. St. Hill has been used in traditional medicine as an anti-ulcerogenic and anti-inflammatory. Although there is an ethnopharmacological indication for cancer treatment, only a few studies have demonstrated its possible anticancer activity. Thus, the aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate the antineoplastic effect of L. pacari e...
Article
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The Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) was established by the Conference of Parties in 2002 to decrease the loss of plant diversity, reduce poverty and contribute to sustainable development. To achieve this overarching goal, the GSPC has established a series of targets, one of which is to ensure that plant diversity is well understood, s...
Article
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Philcoxia (Plantaginaceae, Gratioleae) is a genus with seven species of small herbs endemic to Brazil. It is characterized by underground stems and petioles, peltate leaves, and zigzag racemose inflorescences, in addition to a remarkable carnivorous syndrome. The phylogenetic placement of Philcoxia within tribe Gratioleae has been uncertain since i...