Included here are the uplands of Central Brazil (most of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Tocantins, western Minas Gerais and Bahia, southern Maranho and Piaul, all Distrito Federal, small portions of Sao Paulo and Paran), northeastern Paraguay and eastern Bolivia.

Cerradão

This is open, low woodland with fairly continuous tree canopy. Tree crowns cover up to 50% of the area and there is an under story of small shrubs.  The ground layer is usually dominated by grasses but also includes many forbs. In the Serra do Roncador area in Mato Grosso the characteristic trees include Aspidosperma macrocarpon, Bowdichia virgilioides, Hirtella glandulosa, Sclerolobium paniculatum and Xylopia sericea, with Hirtella glandulosa often being the dominant species. These range in height from 5-12 m. The ground layer includes numerous typical cerrado species with many grasses, ground bromeliads and acaulescent palms.

Cerrado

In its restricted sense this includes savanna woodland with an aborescent cover of about 20%. Among the most common trees in the Serra do Roncador area are Curatella americana, Davilla eliptica, Keilmeyera coriacea, Palicourea rigida, Qualea grandiflora and Salvertia convalariodora and these range in height from 7-15 m. Below the trees are various small palms including acaulescent species and these give the vegetation a characteristic appearance. At ground level grasses dominate with Andropogon (such as Andropogon bicornis), Axonopus (such as Axonopus aureus) and Paspalum (such as Paspalum carinatum) are some of the most common taxa. A number of these can reach heights of 1.25 m. These grasses are typically intermixed with a diverse selection of sedges such as Bulbostylis paradoxa, Cyperus flavus, Dichronema ciliata, Fimbristylis diphylla and Rhynchospora barbata, and various perennial herbs and vines. In places there are also stands of terrestrial bromeliads.

References

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Bridgewater, S., Ratter, J. A. & Ribeiro, J. F. 2004. Biogeographic patterns, ß-diversity and dominance in the cerrado biome of Brazil. Biodiversity and Conservation, 13: 2295-2318.

Sano, S. M. & Almeida, S. P. (eds). 1998. Cerrado: ambiente e flora. Planaltina: EMBRAPA-CPAC.

Durigan, G. 2006. Observations on the Southern Cerrados and Their Relationship with the Core Area. In: Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests. Plant Diversity, Biogeography, and Conservation. Eds. R. T. Pennington, G. P. Lewis and J. A. Ratter. Taylor & Francis.

Eiten, G. 1972. The Cerrada vegetation of Brazil. The Botanical Review. 38: 201-341.

Felfili, J. M. & Da Dilva, M. C. 1992. Floristic composition, phytosociology and comparison of cerrado and gallery forests at Fazenda Agua Limpa, Federal District, Brazil. In: Nature and Dynamics of Forest-Savanna Boundaries. Eds. P. A. Furley, J. Procter and J. A Ratter. Chapman & Hall.

Felfili, J. M. et al. 2006. Phytogeography of Cerrado Sensu Stricto and land System Zoning in Central Brazil. In: Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests. Plant Diversity, Biogeography, and Conservation. Eds. R. T. Pennington, G. P. Lewis and J. A. Ratter. Taylor & Francis.

Felfili, J. M. & Da Silva, M. C. 1993. A comparative study of the cerrado (sensu stricto) vegetation in central Brazil. Journal of Tropical Ecology, 9: 277-289.

Filgueiras, T. S., Felfili, J. M., da Silva, M. C Jr. & Nogueira, P. E. 1998. Floristic and structural comparison of cerrado (sensu stricto) vegetation in central Brazil. In: Forest biodiversity in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Eds. F. Dallmeier and J. A. Comiskey. Man and the Biosphere Series, Vol. 21. The Parthenon Publishing Group.

Furley, P. A., Proctor, J. & Ratter, J. A. 1992. Transitions between cerrado and forest vegetation in Brazil. In: Nature and Dynamics of Forest-Savanna Boundaries. Eds. Furley, P. A., Procter, J. & Ratter, J. A.  Chapman & Hall.

Klink, C. A. & Machado, R. B. 2005. Conservation of the Brazilian Cerrado. Conservation Biology, 19: 707-713.

Oliveiro, P. S. & Marquis, R. J. 2002. The Cerrados of Brazil. Columbia University Press. New York.

Oliveira-Filho, A. T. & Martins, F. R. 1991. A comparative study of five Cerrado areas in southern Mato Grosso, Brazil. Edinburgh, Journal of Botany, 48: 307-332.

Ratter, J. A. & Dargie, T. C. D. 1992. An analysis of the floristic composition of 26 Cerrado areas in Brazil. Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 49: 235-250.

Ratter, J. A., Bridgewater, S. & Ribeiro, J. F. 2006. Biodiversity Patterns of the Woody Vegetation of the Brazilian Cerrados. In: Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests. Plant Diversity, Biogeography, and Conservation. Eds. R. T. Pennington, G. P. Lewis and J. A. Ratter. Taylor & Francis.