In southern Bahia most of the cocoa plantations was established under the Atlantic Rainforest after thinning, in a system called cabruca. The shading tree community with DBH > or = 5,0 cm in 2.6 ha of cabruca was studied. A total of 138 individuals was found, belonging to 41 species and 25 families, with a basal area of 20.0 m² and a cylindrical volume of 471.5 m³. The species with highest Wisconsin index were Spondias lutea L. (9.7%), Pithecelobium polycephalum Benth. (9.4%), Inga affinis Benth. (7.0%) and Cedrela odorata L. (7.0%). Shannon diversity index was 3.35 and Brillouin diversity index was 2.96. The diameter at breast height (DBH) was in the range of 5.0 cm to 126.8 cm. The height was in the range of 4.5 m to 39.4 m, with a mean of 5.9 m. Native species (pioneer, secondary and climax species) and exotic species were found in the area. The cabrucas had high tree diversity and were heterogeneous in structure reflecting the influence of the management history of these areas.
atlantic rainforest; cabruca; species diversity; phytosociology
