Parque Estadual Vassununga

The park was created to preserve important remnants of the Atlantic Forest (Semideciduous Seasonal Forest) and Cerrado biomes and their respective riparian environments, and it is home to a large concentration of jequitibá-rosa trees (Cariniana legalis) still standing in the State of São Paulo, including two of the largest trees in the state. The Patriarca is the best known to the public, as it is the main attraction of the protected area; it is about 42 m tall and 12.40 m in circumference. The Matriarca, discovered in 2018, stands inside one of the fragments and is about 44 m tall and 11.88 m in circumference, but it is not open to public access. This is the protected area that best reflects the state of forest cover in the interior of São Paulo, since its territory is made up of fragments separated from one another. Gleba Pé-de-Gigante, named for its geological formation, which seen from above resembles a giant's footprint, is its largest fragment and is represented by the Cerrado biome.