Floristic inventory of El Prado de las Esculturas, Baconao Biosphere Reserve, Cuba

Abstract

With the objective of inventorying the existing flora in the Prado de Las Sculptures located in the Baconao Biosphere Reserve, six field expeditions were carried out in the months of June to November 2018. 142 infrageneric taxa, 128 genera and 58 families were identified. Of the total species, four are Bryophytes, three ferns and 135 spermatophytes (one gymnosperm: Araucaria sp.). The most representative families of spermatophytes turned out to be Fabaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae and Verbenaceae. The best-represented genera were Senna and Passiflora with four and three species respectively. 79 native species, 33 naturalized, 22 introduced, and five endemic species were recorded. Among the threatened species, an interesting report is Coccothrinax fragrans with the Endangered (EN) category. Considering the potential for use, medicinal species (25.3%) predominate, followed by ornamentals (14%), and timber (9.0%).