ABSTRACT The Atlantic Forest is made up of different vegetation types over extensive latitude. Most of its remnants are in mountain ranges, which are responsible for the maintenance of most endemic and threatened species in this domain. Here we present the floristic composition of the Área de Proteção Ambiental Mestre Álvaro (APAMA), a coastal massif at Espírito Santo State with expressive altitudinal amplitude (100-800 a.s.l.) containing remnants never floristically studied. Knowing the composition of this protected area is important because it includes an altitudinal range not yet evaluated in floristic comparisons involving highland and lowland forests between the latitudes 18-21° S. We found 493 species (in 292 genera and 91 families): ten are regional endemic species, nine are new records of occurrence for the state, and 52 are under some degree of threat of extinction. Our results indicate the presence of flora elements' typical of both highland and lowland forests, which makes the APAMA essential in a scenario extremely fragmented. Finally, our data provide an unprecedented floristic list for regional forest restoration projects, as well as an invaluable source of data for biogeographic studies that seek to understand the effect caused by neighboring vegetation types on the composition of lowland forests.

A vegetação de um trecho da floresta de restinga no Parque Estadual Paulo César Vinha (PEPCV), Setiba, município de Guarapari (ES) foi amostrada através de 100 parcelas de 10 × 10 m cada, plotadas em quatro linhas perpendiculares ao mar. Foram inventariados 2.106 indivíduos (DAP > 4,8 cm), fornecendo uma área basal de 27,52 m².ha-1 e diversidade (H') de 3,73 nats, excetuando os 67 mortos em pé. Segundo valores decrescentes de importância (VI), destacaram-se as famílias Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae, Annonaceae, Bombacaceae e Meliaceae, e as espécies Pouteria coelomatica, Myrciaria floribunda, Oxandra nitida, Chrysophyllum lucentifolium e Aspidosperma parvifolium. A floresta apresenta variações estruturais e florísticas no gradiente mar-continente, com formação de três grupos dissimilares de espécies. Ocorrência exclusiva de espécies nos grupos e diferenças entre os principais táxons de cada grupo, evidenciam uma zonação. Propõe-se o termo geral "formação florestal não inundável" para esta comunidade, frente aos tradicionais "Mata de Myrtaceae" e "Mata Seca", uma vez que a composição de suas principais famílias e espécies não permite separá-las de acordo com os critérios de classificação destas comunidades.

The vegetation structure of a restinga forest in the "Paulo César Vinha" State Park (PCVSP), Setiba, Municipality of Guarapari (ES) was studied using 100 sampling plots (10 × 10 m) in four transects perpendicular to the coastline. A total of 2,106 trees (dbh > 4.8 cm) were sampled and total basal area was 27.52 m².ha-1 and species diversity (H') was 3.73 nats (67 dead standing trees were not included). Based on decreasing importance values (VI), the following families and species outstanded: Myrtaceae, Sapotaceae, Annonaceae, Bombacaceae, and Meliaceae; Pouteria coelomatica, Myrciaria floribunda, Oxandra nitida, Chrysophyllum lucentifolium and Aspidosperma parvifolium. Forest structure and species composition vary on the gradient from the ocean landward, forming three dissimilar species groups. Some species were found only in one of these groups and species dominance also differed zonally. It is proposed that the studied community is called "non-flooded forest formation" instead of the traditionally "Myrtaceae forest" or "dry forest", since family and species composition do not allow a more detailed classification.