RESUMEN
Abstract Brazil has one of the greatest diversity of ferns and lycophytes in the world, especially in its humid forests. The knowledge about these plants in the 27 federative units is uneven and can potentially hamper conservation actions aimed at them. In the state of Sergipe, collections of these groups have been sporadic and about 50 species have been cataloged so far, a low number when compared to other states. This study aimed to compile the species of ferns and lycophytes occurring in Sergipe based on herbaria materials and recent samples collected. Therefore, specimens from herbaria were accessed, together with online databases, as well as 13 botanical expeditions were carried out in three areas. Our study recorded of 20 families, 44 genera and 86 species (75 ferns and 11 lycophytes), with eight new records for the state. The most representative families were Pteridaceae (21 spp.), Polypodiaceae (12), Anemiaceae (nine) and Selaginellaceae (eight). The genera Adiantum L. (eight spp.), Anemia Sw. (nine spp.) and Selaginella P.Beauv. (eight spp.) had the highest number of species. The study shows that efforts like these are extremely necessary and may eventually indicate the extent to which the richness of ferns and lycophytes in Sergipe is underestimated, also promoting researches in this area of Botany.
Resumo O Brasil possui uma das maiores diversidades de samambaias e licófitas do mundo, principalmente em florestas úmidas. No entanto, o conhecimento sobre essas plantas nas 27 unidades federativas é desigual e isso pode dificultar as ações de conservação voltadas para elas. No estado de Sergipe, as coletas desses grupos têm sido esporádicas e cerca de 50 espécies foram catalogadas até o momento, um número baixo quando comparado a outros estados. Este estudo teve como objetivo compilar as espécies de samambaias e licófitas ocorrentes em Sergipe a partir de materiais de herbários e amostragens recentes. Para tanto, foram acessados espécimes em herbários, juntamente com bancos de dados on-line, bem como 13 expedições botânicas foram realizadas em três áreas. Nosso estudo registrou 20 famílias, 44 gêneros e 86 espécies (75 de samambaias e 11 de licófitas), com oito novos registros para o Estado. As famílias mais representativas foram Pteridaceae (21 spp.), Polypodiaceae (12), Anemiaceae (oito) e Selaginellaceae (oito). Os gêneros Adiantum L. (oito spp.), Anemia Sw. (nove spp.) e Selaginella P.Beauv. (oito spp.) apresentaram o maior número de espécies. O estudo mostra que esforços como esses são extremamente necessários e podem eventualmente indicar o quanto a riqueza de samambaias e licófitas em Sergipe está subestimada, promovendo também pesquisas nessa área da Botânica.
RESUMEN
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Ethnobotany is becoming an important tool for understanding how traditional medical systems are organized and which variables affect their structure and dynamics. However, some phenomena observed in ethnobotanical studies led us to question whether such phenomena are real or methodological artifacts. The small proportion of ferns and lycophytes in ethnobotanical surveys of medicinal plants is one such phenomenon, and its causes should be identified using different approach levels. The present study aimed to clarify the reasons for a low representation of these two groups in studies of medicinal plants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study considered the following hypotheses: 1) ferns and lycophytes are little represented in different ethnobotanical studies because of inadequate data collection methods to record these species; 2) ferns and lycophytes are little represented because of the local perception of their low therapeutic efficacy; and 3) species of ferns and lycophytes are represented in local pharmacopoeias in proportion to the size of their families. We chose rural communities from Chapada do Araripe, Northeast Brazil to test our hypotheses. Data on the medicinal plant repertoires of the communities and on the perceived therapeutic efficacy of ferns were obtained using two different methods, semi-structured interviews associated with free lists and a checklist interview, both applied to local specialists. The resulting data were analyzed differently for each test. In addition, data regarding the total flora x medicinal flora ratio were obtained with a floristic survey and accessing data banks from previous studies performed by our research team. RESULTS: All hypotheses were confirmed, showing that all three factors contributed to the low representation of these plant groups as medicinal resources. The present study showed that free-list interviews are not a good method to access traditional knowledge of medicinal ferns and lycophytes and that the use of visual stimuli can help the memory of the informants, thus making it possible to associate the perceived characteristics with plant use. The results also showed that individuals perceive these plants as inferior therapeutic resources compared to angiosperms, which contributes to knowledge of their use not being transmitted. The final result of the present study was that the distribution of medicinal fern and lycophyte species within families was consistent with the total flora x medicinal flora ratio. This result indicates that even if the most appropriate data collection method was used for the ethnobotanical survey, the number of species would not be as expressive as that of angiosperms.