RESERVA BIOLOGICA LIMONCOCHA FORMACIONES VEGETALES, DIVERSIDAD YETNOBOTANICA

Abstract

Field work was done July 1996 and March. 2000 at the Limoncocha Biolopcal Reserve, located in Sucumbios province, at 230 m elevation. 7<P37’W and 00°24'S, m a humid tropea! rainforest kfe zone In the life zones Vbrzea. Igapó and Várzea-lgapó of this reserve, we used the transects methodology for species with DBH of 2.5 cm. Wb proceeded to measure DBH and height, and also to coáecl and identify plant speoes Wb also collected randomly throughout the Reserve with the assistance of a Quichua informant. With the frequencies we calculated the Simpson* Diversity Index. Tho vouchers are deposited a! the Herbarium Alfredo Paredes QAP We determined five plant formations: Lowland evergreen forests inundated by white waters (Várzea). Lowland evergreen forests inundated by black waters (Igapó). Lowland evergreen forests mundalod by white and black waters (Várzealgapó). Gallery lowland evergreen forests, and Lowland herbaceous wetlands. In the transects sampling we found 93 speoes Of to r *e. the more froquent are Phytalaphaa Cvén & Men tain ; Arprm> Botánicos fa Umonischfi te n u ic a u lis , M a tis ia o b liq u ifo lia , and M. m alacocalyx In the Várzea-lgapó plant formation we recorded 46 species, Inga s trio la ta and Zygia in a e q u a lisbeing the most frequent. In a sampling of Igapó, we found 31 species,M a u rltie lla arm ata and V irola su rin a m e n sisbeing the most frequent. In another Igapó sampling, we found 31 species, H eliconla m arginataand B auhinia tarapotensls being the most frequent. From the ethnobotanical information, we registered 100 useful species. Of these, trees were the most important, with various species used for lumber firewood and medicine. In summary, despite the small size of the reserve, its floristic composition is similar to other plant
formations from the EcuadorianAmazonia. Further the reserve has important floristic features useful for ecotourism.