food use; interactive key; sustainable development

The family Cactaceae Juss. is distributed throughout the Brazilian territory, represented by 39 genera and 261 species. In northeastern Brazil, the family is of great economic interest and used for various purposes such as fodder, human, medicinal and ornamental food, besides interacting with the fauna and biodiversity of the region. Floristic studies are used to identify the species of a region and present identification keys as the main resource for identification of species. Studies using interactive keys may be useful for popularization of taxonomy and the advancement of floristic, systematic and conservation studies. The present study aims to elaborate an e-Flora of the native species of cacti of Rio Grande do Norte and an interactive key as well as survey the use of species as food. The list of species and morphological characterization will be obtained though herbarium and field reseach. The preparation of the  interactive key will be performed in the free access software Xper2. We expect that the identification of species in the region will be facilitated through the e- flora and interactive key contributing to expand the family knowledge to the scientific community, as well as to the use of native cacti species for agriculture aiming the sustainable development.