According to the definition Riparian Forest may be subdivided into two categories. Ciliary Forest and Gallery Forest. Ciliary Forest is defined as the forest vegetation that follows the medium and large size rivers on Cerrado region, where the trees vegetation do not form galleries. Usually this forest is relatively narrow on both side banks hardly longer than 100mts width on each side. It is common the width on each side to be proportional the river side banks, although the plain areas the width is larger. However, the Ciliary Forest occur normally on the rugged terrain, it may have a transition not always evident to other forestall physiognomies such as Mata Seca (Dry Forest) and Cerradão.
Figure 14 – Riparian Forest, Parnaíba River, Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba National Park, MA.
It is understood that Mata de Galeria is the forestall vegetation that accompany the small size rivers and streams on the plains of Central Brazil, creating closed long corridors (galleries) on the watercourse. Generally, Mata de Galeria is located at the back of valleys or on the headwater drainage, where the water courses have not dug a definite channel yet. This physiognomy is evergreen (deciduous), i.e. does not feature the falling of leaves on the drought season. Mata de Galeria is mostly surrounded by non-forest vegetation strips on both sides, and usually occurs an abrupt transition with savanna and campestral formations. This transition is barely noticed when it occurs with Matas Ciliares, Matas Secas, or even Cerradões large Cerrado, which is rarer, although differentiated by floristic composition.
The average height of tree layer varies between 20 and 30 meters, with an overlap of tree crowns that provide coverage from 70% to 95%. Inside, the relative humidity is high even during drought season. The presence of trees with small sapopemas (tabular expansions found in the stems of some trees) or protusions on the roots are common, especially in more humid areas. It is common to many species epiphytes (plants that support themselves on the structure of other plants, without parasite it), especially Orchidaceous, in a superior quantity of what occurs in other forest formations of Cerrado.
Figura 16 - Riparian Forest, Rio Parnaíba, Nascentes do Rio Parnaíba National Park, MA.
