Plant Hunting in the Cerrado of Unesp: identification of herbaceous, climbers and shrub species with landscape potential

• Grant number: 24/20555-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Landscaping
• Principal Investigator: Marta Enokibara
• Grantee: Fernanda Silva Gomes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura, Artes, Comunicação e Design (FAAC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Cerrado, one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, is the second most devastated biome inBrazil, retaining only 19.8% of its original native vegetation cover. In the field of landscaping,some authors, mainly from Brasília-DF, have identified herbaceous and shrub species withlandscape potential and sought to incorporate them into garden designs. However, in the stateof São Paulo, the same species do not always occur, or exhibit different behaviors comparedto those observed in Brasília. In this context, the objective of the proposal is to conductexploratory research through Plant Hunting, seeking to select native herbaceous, climbers andshrub species that have landscape potential. The exploration area will be on the Campus andsurroundings areas of the São Paulo State University (Unesp), in the city of Bauru, whereseveral fragments of the Cerrado biome remain preserved. The exploratory research will beconducted throughout the entire research period, aiming to document species withgeoreferenced records, scaled photographs, and specimen collection across different seasonsand phenological stages (flowering, fruiting, and seed production). The data collected will beorganized in spreadsheets and files containing images and relevant information for eachspecies. Baes on this data, a catalog will be prepared with species that occur in the cerrado ofSão Paulo, enabling future testing for seedling production and serving as a reference to supportthe development of landscaping projects. It is anticipated that the results will contribute to thepreservation of the biome, the promotion of biodiversity, and the development of more sustainable gardens, using species that are better suited to the local environment.