Publicação on-line; Bibliography p. 317-328 (296 ref.); Summary (En)

Abstract

Poales represents a major part of Angiosperm and Monocot diversity. The families encompass ca. 20,000
species which is about 7% of the Angiosperms and 33% of the Monocots. Bromeliaceae, Cyperaceae, Eriocaulaceae,
Juncaceae, Mayacaceae, Poaceae, Rapateaceae, Thurniaceae, Typhaceae, and Xyridaceae are the
families represented in the Neotropics. In general terms some areas in the Neotropics could be considered
hotspots for Poales with a high number of species in several genera and several centers of endemism – the
Guayana Shield, Espinhaço Range and Atlantic Forest are highly diverse in Poales. In terms of the Brazilian
flora, the order is well represented in the entire country with almost 4,400 species. It represents more than
50% of the total number of species of Monocotyledons in Brazil. The main goal here is to summarize the
available information and provide an overview of the Poales in the Neotropics. The state of knowledge for each
family, focused on the Brazilian flora, is provided and reinforces the importance of new studies in key-groups
looking beyond the understanding of their diversity on the continent but also the conservation of the species.

Key words: Bromeliaceae, Cyperaceae, Eriocaulaceae, Juncaceae, Mayacaceae, Rapateaceae, Thurniaceae,
Typhaceae, Xyridaceae.