The district of Santa Maria is located in the northern region of theCentral Depression of Rio Grande do Sul and its vegetation is characterized by floras of phytoecological regions such as Savanna and Seasonal Forest.The Campus of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) has a totalarea of 1906.57 hectares, including the Botanical Garden (JB-UFSM), whichhas an area of approximately 14.5 hectares and it is located between thecoordinates 29°43’22'’S and 53°43’47'’W. Its vegetation has changed andbecame quite different from the characteristic vegetation of the Santa Mariaregion, mainly as a result of farming and the introduction of plant species.This work aimed to perform a floristic study of the herbaceous componentof the UFSM Botanical Garden, providing data for help in the cultivation,in the species conservation and the recovery of the area. Specimens werecollected seasonally, from March 2006 to March 2007, carried out duringwalks along the study area. The species were collected during the fertilestage and taken to the laboratory of Plant Taxonomy for identification andherborization and then deposited in the SMDB Herbarium. A total of 201species in 128 genera and 34 families were identified, with Poaceae,Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Cyperaceae being the most representative families.The data obtained with the identification of the material was used to drawup a list of all species, as well as an analytical key to the families.
