The only species of giant tree of the genus Dipteryx in the Atlantic Forest was discovered in the municipality of Branquinha, in Alagoas, by researchers from the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and State University of Feira de Santana (UEFS). The discovery is part of the doctoral thesis of researcher Catarina Silva de Carvalho, who graduated from the National School of Tropical Botany of Jardim Botânico, and had as co-authors the researchers Haroldo Cavalcante de Lima, Domingos Cardoso, Débora Zuanny and Bernarda S. Gregório,
The species, which can reach up to 30 meters in height, was described in an article published on the 9th of the scientific journal Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. The researchers found only one adult and two juveniles in a fragment of preserved forest inside a farm and surrounded by sugarcane plantations.
Giant tree species from the Atlantic Forest – JBRJ Disclosure
“Most of the species are from the Amazon, but through the herbal consultation, we saw that there was this material from the Atlantic Forest, which was very different. But we couldn’t describe the species because the materials were very old and few. Also, when we went to the areas mentioned in the herbaria, the forests had been cut down. They had already been decimated”, explained Catarina Carvalho to Brazil Agency.
The researchers’ initial conclusion was that the trees had become extinct.
Species
During her doctorate, however, Catarina was contacted by the National Forestry Inventory reporting that they had this tree and that they did not know how to identify it. “The moment I laid eyes on this cactus, I saw that it was the species I thought was extinct. It was from Branquinha (AL)”. The researchers ended up going into the field and were able to collect the species, which was essential for them to be able to describe it.
With a light colored trunk, which stands out in the forest, the species was cataloged as Dipteryx hermetopascoaliana, in honor of the composer and multi-instrumentalist from Alagoas Hermeto Pascoal. For Catarina Carvalho, like the tree, Hermeto Pascoal is a giant of Northeastern music and instrumental jazz and stands out in the Brazilian music scene.
“We thought it suited Hermeto a lot, this musician of ours, from the Northeast, a multi-instrumentalist jazz giant”. For the researchers, just as Hermeto is a symbol of resistance of the diversity of Brazilian culture within the jazz universe, constituting a world reference, the giant tree Dipteryx hermetopascoaliana cataloged is now a symbol of resistance of the mega diversity of the Atlantic Forest.
Dipteryx hermetopascoaliana is a much taller tree than the rest of the forest trees. Catarina hopes that, as soon as they become aware of the discovery, the owners of the farm may be interested in conserving the new species of giant tree.
The genus Dipteryx belongs to the legume family and is common in the Amazon, with species such as cumaru (D. odorata), and also in the Cerrado, with baru (D. alata). Dipteryx hermetopascoaliana, however, is the first species of the genus described in the Atlantic Forest, the most devastated biome in Brazil and, currently, with only 10% of its original coverage. Therefore, researchers believe that the giant tree is already highly threatened by the historic destruction of its habitat.
Currently, Catarina Carvalho is a postdoctoral fellow at the National Institute for Research in the Amazon (Inpa), in Manaus, where she will remain until 2025 doing research on trees, giant or otherwise. “Always revealing a little more of the biodiversity”, said Catarina.
