Pollen grain morphology of Bromeliaceae species collected in areas of the Atlantic Rainforest of southeastern Brazil was studied. The following species were analyzed: Aechmea bambusoides L.B.Sm. & Reitz, A. nudicaulis (L.) Griseb., A. ramosa Mart. ex Schult.f., Ananas bracteatus (Lindl.) Schult.f., Billbergia distachia (Vell.) Mez, B. euphemiae E. Morren, B. horrida Regel, B. zebrina (Herb.) Lindl., Portea petropolitana (Wawra) Mez, Pitcairnia flammea Lindl., Quesnelia indecora Mez, Tillandsia polystachia (L.) L., T. stricta Sol., T. gardneri Lindl., T. geminiflora Brongn. and Vriesea grandiflora Leme. Light and scanning electron microscopy were used and the species were grouped into three pollen types, organized according to aperture characteristics: Type I - pantoporate pollen grains observed in P. petropolitana, Type II - 2-porate pollen grains, observed in the genera Ananas, Aechmea and Quesnelia, and Type III - 1-colpate pollen grains, observed in the genera Billbergia, Pitcairnia, Tillandsia and Vriesea. Pollen data led to the construction of an identification key. The results showed that the species analyzed can be distinguished using mainly aperture features and exine ornamentation, and that these characteristics may assist in taxonomic studies of the family.

The south-eastern Brazil comprises the Atlantic forest (a region mainly characterized by tropical evergreen forest), subtropical forest, mangroves, and scrub sandbanks. Sandy areas are found at sea level, and high altitude grassland spots and rocky outcrops occur above 2000 m. This region is important because the richness, diversity, and endemism of species, including bryophytes. The similarity of bryophytes occurring on these different areas has not been evaluated yet. This study aimed to analyse the bryofloristic similarity between 12 different areas in south-eastern Brazil, assessing the environmental factors that influence their distribution. Floristic similarity was analysed under cluster and Detrended Correspondence Analysis; multi-response permutation procedures were employed to test the groups' significance. In order to test whether the geographical distance between the areas is a relevant factor to test the similarity of the species, Spearman correlation analysis was performed, and to de...

(1999). Spore morphology of some Dicranaceae species (Bryophyta) from Brazil. Grana: Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 42-49.

The spores of Bruchia uleana, B. uruguensis, Eobruchia bruchioides, Trematodon ambiguus, T. aureus, T. brevifolius, T. longlcollis, T. reflexus and T. vaginatus were studied by light and scanning electron microscopy. The spore wall of the family Bruchiaceae includes sclerine (the distinction between exine and perine may be difficult to define) and intine. The aperture may be surrounded or not by one or more rings of ornamentation elements. Two basic types of spore were recognized: one characterized by a gemmoid surface and the other with elongated processes and two types of ornamentation in the apertural region. The spores of the taxa studied support the separation of the Bruchiaceae from the Dicranaceae.