x Butyagrus naturais (Arecaceae) da Região Sul do Brasil: diferenciação de híbridos

Abstract

Arecaceae fruit trees are becoming increasingly popular and becoming popular with consumers due to their sensory qualities and becoming an option for a source of income combined with biodiversity conservation. The genus Butia occurs naturally in South America, mainly in the southern region of Brazil, and is widely distributed in Rio Grande do Sul where most of the existing species of the genus occur. In places where the genera Butia and Syagrus cohabit, there may be cross-pollination, this occurs due to the low synchronization of male and female phenophases, this crossing results in natural hybrids. Hybridization can be a possibility to discover the potential of species and their adaptability to environmental conditions. So far, three hybrids have been recorded: x Butyagrus nabonnandii, the first hybrid mentioned in the literature, emerged from the cross between Butia odorata and Syagrus romanzoffiana, it was initially described as an artificial hybrid, but it occurs naturally. x Butyagrus alegretensis is a natural hybrid between the parents Butia lallemantii and S. romanzoffiana, a natural hybrid that occurs exclusively in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. A third hybrid was recently described, x Butyagrus paranaënsis arising from the hybridization of Butia eriospatha and S. romanzoffiana. These hybrids present great morphological similarity to each other, making their clear identification difficult. It was then realized the need to create dichotomous keys that would allow easy differentiation of one hybrid from another. Mapping of the geographic distribution of the populations known to date was also carried out. An extensive review of the literature was carried out where the three hybrids were mentioned, based on detailed observations in the morphological descriptions of the hybrids, the best attribute was defined for the elaboration of identification keys. With the differentiation criteria defined, dichotomous keys and georeferencing of hybrid populations were created. Throughout the research, it was possible to notice the lack of more in-depth studies on natural hybrids that include a set of ecological information, mainly on the reproductive phenology and forms of conservation of these populations