Flora
The flora of the region is poorly known, except on the sandy coastal plains ("restingas"). Of the 740 species listed for the region, c. 80% are from the coastal plain (Araújo and Henriques 1984). The total number of species will most certainly reach 1500-2200 when complete inventories are made. Based on a comparison with other areas of restinga from the Rio de Janeiro coast, Cabo Frio is much richer in species, having 57% of the species represented in 12% of the total area. The Cabo Frio region also contains the most endemic coastal plain species: 26 of the 36 endemics listed for the restingas of Rio de Janeiro (Lacerda, Araújo and Maciel 1993). Eleven endemic species have been identified from the hillside thickets. Endemic trees of the region include Chrysophyllum januariensis, Duguetia rhizantha, Erythroxylum glazioui, Marlierea schottii, Rollinia parviflora and Swartzia glazioviana. Several disjunct species have their southern limit in the Cabo Frio region, e.g. Bonnetia stricta, Connarus ovatifolius, Cathedra bahiensis and Stephanopodium blanchetianum.
Useful plants
Individual trees of the now rare Brazil-wood (Caesalpinia echinata) are found in the Cabo Frio region. Once an important dyewood and still used for violin bows, this species was intimately connected with the history and colonization of Brazil (Cunha and Lima 1992). Local fishermen use many plants, not only in their work but also as a source of medicinals.
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