Wild Species of Manihot Mill. (Euphorbiaceae) in the Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Collection, Cruz das Almas, Bahia, Brazil

• Autor(a) principal: Neves, Reizaluamar de Jesus
• Data de Publicação: 2014
• Outros Autores: Carvalho, Paulo Cezar Lemos de, Alves, Alfredo Augusto Cunha, Ledo, Carlos Alberto da Silva, Martins, Márcio Lacerda Lopes
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Iheringia. Série Botânica
• Texto Completo: https://isb.emnuvens.com.br/iheringia/article/view/88
• topic: Cassava germplasm; conservation; Manihot esculenta; pre-breeding; conservação; germoplasma da Mandioca; Manihot esculenta; pré- Melhoramento

Manihot is a neotropical genus with about 70 species in Brazil. Considered an important source of starch, the wild species are useful in cassava breeding programs. Taxonomic studies on this genus are scarce, and several species are endangered. The Embrapa Cassava and Fruit Collection contain wild cassava species of Manihot from different regions in Brazil, although many have uncertain taxonomic identifi cations. The present study reviewed the taxonomy of these specimens and provides descriptions and illustrations for each collection/species. Thirteen species were identifi ed. The best represented biome in the collection was the Cerrado (eight species), followed by the Caatinga (fi ve species). Four taxa are distributed in more than one ecosystem, while six species are on red lists, indicating the importance of their conservation in germplasm banks.