Living Collection of Vascular Epiphytes Along the Visitor Route of the Sítio Roberto Burle Marx, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Living plant collections in historic properties serve vital roles in ex situ conservation and botanical research. This study characterized the vascular epiphyte flora along the visitable area of the Sítio Roberto Burle Marx (SRBM) (approximately 40.5 ha), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, examining taxonomic composition, phorophyte associations, historical provenance, and conservation status. Through a 14-month systematic census along the visitation route, we recorded 68 taxa across 31 genera and 10 families, including ferns: Aspleniaceae, Blechnaceae, Nephrolepidaceae, Polypodiaceae and Psilotaceae, and angiosperms: Araceae, Bromeliaceae, Cactaceae, Orchidaceae, and Piperaceae, associated with 1983 surveyed phorophytes, of which 1282 were identified, adding 45 new herbarium records. Angiosperms dominated richness, led by Araceae, Cactaceae, and Bromeliaceae, while Polypodiaceae was the most diverse fern family. Of the 68 taxa, 44 (64.7%) are native to the state of Rio de Janeiro, 9 (13.2%) are native to Brazil but lack confirmed natural occurrence in the state, and 15 (22.1%) are exotic. Consequently, 24 taxa (35.3%) would not be expected to occur naturally in the study area without human-mediated introduction. Epiphyte distribution among phorophytes was highly uneven, with generalist natives widely distributed and several threatened or infrequently recorded taxa occurring on a limited number of phorophytes. These findings establish a baseline for the integrated management, documentation, and conservation of the SRBM living epiphyte collection.