The shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora.

Esse trabalho consiste no levantamento das espécies de Panicoideae (Poaceae) em remanescentes de Mata Atlântica no sul do estado da Bahia. As coletas foram realizadas entre os anos de 2007 e 2010, concentrando-se nos bordos e no interior dos três maiores remanescentes florestais da Reserva Ecológica da Michelin (Mata da Vila 5, Pancada Grande e Pacangê). Foram confirmadas 24 espécies em 11 gêneros, sendo Ichnanthus P. Beauv. e Paspalum L. os mais representativos, com cinco e oito espécies, respectivamente. Uma chave de identificação para gêneros e espécies é apresentada, assim como descrições, ilustrações e dados ecológicos, contribuindo para o conhecimento das espécies florestais de Poaceae do Brasil.Palavras-chave: Gramineae, florística, Mata Atlântica. AbstractWe present a floristic survey of Panicoideae (Poaceae) in remnants of Atlantic Forest in Southern Bahia State, Brazil, in the Michelin Ecological Reserve. Collections were made from 2007 to 2010, focusing on the borders and interior of the three major forest fragments (Vila 5, Pancada Grande and Pacangê). Twenty four species in 11 genera were found, being Ichnanthus P. Beauv. and Paspalum L. the most representative, with five and eight species, respectively. An identification key to genera and species is presented, as well as descriptions, illustrations and ecological data, increasing the knowledge on Poaceae from Brazilian forests.

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Piresia is a low growing perennial grass in the tribe Olyreae (Poaceae, Bambusoideae). It differs from other herbaceous bamboos in having dimorphic culms: aerial ones bear broad and flat leaf blades at the top and rarely develop an inflorescence, and decumbent ones usually bear reduced leaves or bladeless leaf sheaths, with inflorescences that are raceme-like, few-flowered, and often hidden under the litter. Four species are accepted in this genus, and a fifth one is described and illustrated herein. Piresia palmula. This new species resembles P. leptophylla in having narrow leaf blades, but differs in the number of aerial culms, texture of leaf blades, and in the number and size of inflorescences on both aerial and decumbent culms. Both species are associated with rainforest remnants, but display distinct patterns of geographic distribution and environmental conditions. Piresia leptophylla occurs in northern South America and northeastern Brazil (Bahia to Parai'ba), often in sandy soils, especially in "Restinga" forests, whereas the new species is known only from Michelin's Ecological Reserve, in southern Bahia, growing on rocky substrate in a humid environment. For these reasons it is considered as CR (critically endangered) according to IUCN criteria.

The Flora Neotropica treatment of Flaucourtiaceae s.l., by Sleumer, was a milestone in the study of the group and, consequently, of the families that were subsequently segregated from Flaucourtiaceae. Of these, Lacistemataceae comprise 16 tree-shrub species that usually occur in humid forests. However, specimens from campos rupestres in Bahia State, Brazil, were not analyzed by Sleumer so some morphological variation remained unnoticed. Here, we describe Lacistema ligiae, a new species from the campos rupestres of Bahia, and include notes on leaf venation and pollen morphology of related species. Lacistema ligiae can be recognized by leaf blades with sinuous secondary veins, which are covered by long and adpressed trichomes abaxially, hairy filament and ovary, and a distinct style not exceeding the height of the stamen.