Identificação das madeiras históricas das instituições carcerárias da Ilha Grande, Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Abstract

The anatomical study of woods used in Brazilian heritage has provides important information about the knowledge of past generations and the flora of certain regions. The objective of the present study was to identify from the wood anatomy the species were used in the constructions related to prison institutions in Ilha Grande, as well as to relate the identified species to the floristic and phytosociological inventories in this region. The botanical material investigated includes the wood of old buildings or ruins of these buildings, which are found from Vila Dois Rios to Praia da Parnaioca, area of the extinct Instituto Penal Cândido Mendes. The collected wood samples were processed according to the usual techniques in the study of wood anatomy. The identification process started with the inclusion of anatomical features from wood samples in a taxonomic identification key, followed by comparisons of the anatomical structure of wood samples from xylaria and with literature data referring to the same common and/or scientific names and to species belonging to genus similar to these species, whose natural occurrence is the Ilha Grande and/or the state of Rio de Janeiro. The results evidenced the use of the genus Albizia and Handroanthus and, at a specific level, the species Aspidosperma polyneuron, Pinus elliotti, Pinus palustres, and Zollernia ilicifolia. The identified woods were applied to different structural parts of several old buildings existing in the perimeter of the extinct Instituto Penal Cândido Mendes, as in the civil construction in roofs and windows and in the construction related to transport in bridges and cart load. The identification revealed the use of species native to the forest remnant of Ilha Grande and exotic species to that territory. Besides, the relation of species used in the structures found shows that the local population knew the physical properties of these woods and used this knowledge in civil construction. These results corroborate the importance of studies of this nature to identify species whose woods have been used in historical sites. The anatomical characteristics observed contributes to identify the past woody flora which was used in local constructions, allowing the recovery of the history of extraction and use of wood