Question: Although the restinga vegetation lies adjacent to the species-rich Atlantic Rainforest, fewer species thrive due to low available resources of the sandy substrate. We asked whether there is a specific set of functional traits related to the ability to attain high dominance in a restinga dominated by a CAM photosynthesis tree. Location: Restinga of Jurubatiba National Park, north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods: We chose traits that are commonly used in large screenings, leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf longevity (LL) and leaf nitrogen concentration (LNC). We also measured the functional traits, midday leaf water potential (Ψmin), pressure-volume curves, nitrogen isotope discrimination (δ15N) and chlorophyll fluorescence. We compared species using ANOVA and ordination analysis. Results: The two most dominant species differed from subordinate species in terms of leaf succulence (SUC) and Ψmin. 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