The Gnaphalieae are a group of sunflowers that have their greatest diversity in South America, Southern Africa, and Australia. The objective of this study was to reconstruct a phylogeny of the South African Gnaphalieae using sequence data from two noncoding chloroplast DNA sequences, the trnL intron and trnL/trnF intergenic spacer. Included in this investigation are the genera of the Gnaphalieae from the African basal groups, members of the subtribes Cassiniinae, Gnaphaliinae, and Relhaniinae, and African representatives from the large Old World genus Helichrysum. Results indicate that two Gnaphaloid genera, Printzia and Callilepis, should be excluded from the Gnaphalieae. In most trees the Relhaniinae s.s. (sensu stricto) and some of the basal taxa comprise a clade that is sister to the remainder of the tribe Gnaphalieae. The Relhaniinae, which are restricted to Africa, are not a monophyletic group as presently circumscribed, nor are the South African members of Helichrysum, the Cassiniinae and Gnaphaliinae. There is general agreement between our molecular analysis and that of morphology, particularly in the terminal branches of the trees.
The seven Australian species of Atractocarpus Schltr.& K.Krause are revised and full descriptions and keys provided. Two newsubspecies, A. benthamianus subsp.glaber and A. fitzalanii subsp.tenuipes are described. Shorter descriptions and notesare provided for eleven extra-Australian species transferred toAtractocarpus from NeofranciellaGuillaumin, Randia s.l., Sukunia A.C.Sm.,Sulitia Merr. and Trukia Kaneh.Seventeen new combinations are made:Atractocarpus benthamianus(Randia benthamiana F.Muell.),A. carolinensis(Randia carolinensis Valeton),A. chartaceus (Gardenia chartaceaF.Muell.), A. crosbyi(Randia crosbyi Burkill),A. decorus (Randia decoraValeton), A. fitzalanii(Gardenia fitzalanii F.Muell.),A. hirtus (Gardenia hirtaF.Muell.), A. longipes(Sukunia longipes A.C.Sm.),A. macarthurii (Randia macarthuriiF.Muell.), A. merikin(Gardenia merikin F.M.Bailey),A. obscurinervius(Gardenia obscurinervia Merr.),A. pentagonioides(Gardenia pentagonioides Seem.),A. pterocarpon(Franciella pterocarpon Guillaumin),A. sessilis (Randia sessilisF.Muell.), A. tahitiensis(Randia tahitiensis Nadeaud),A. tenuiflorus (Randia tenuifloraA.C.Sm.) and A. versteegii(Randia versteegii Valeton).
The highly polymorphic taxon Metrosideros polymorpha ('ohi'a) is the most abundant endemic tree in Hawai'i, occupying a wide but fragmented range of habitats across Federal, State, and privately managed lands. Morphological character states of 342 herbarium specimens from the island of Hawai'i distributed the five recognised varieties in ordinal space, but intermediate phenotypes were prevalent. Morphological and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses were undertaken for 10 individuals at 3 sites on Hawai'i. Individuals at a high-elevation dry site and mid-elevation dry site had smaller, pubescent leaves with a higher leaf mass per area and nitrogen content than individuals at a moist mid-elevation site. While the populations were separated in ordinal space, taxonomic varieties overlapped. The high degree of overlap between the taxonomic varieties, based on genetic and morphological characteristics, does not support the current varietal subdivision of Metrosideros polymorpha on Hawai'i.
Cladistic analyses of a morphological database for 37 Australian species of
Gardenia Ellis and Randia Houst.
ex L. demonstrate the polyphyly of both genera. Five clades are identified,
with Randia audasiiC. T. White placed in an isolated
position. Four of these clades are assigned to extant genera:
Aidia Lour., Atractocarpus Schltr.
et K. Krause, Gardenias.s. and
Kailarsenia Tirveng. The following genera are considered
as falling within Atractocarpus:
Neofranciella Guillaumin, Sukunia
A. C. Sm., and Trukia Kaneh.
Pelagodendron Seem. belongs with
Aidia. Whereas Randia audasii
falls within the current concept of Rothmannia Thunb.,
available data suggest that genus is paraphyletic, and should be confined to
the African taxa.
Cosmos sulphureus is a prolific seed-producing annual herb considered native to Mexico and northern South America. It grows to two metres tall, and sports very attractive heads of yellow flowers. There are numerous popular cultivars of C. sulphureus in the international horticultural trade, resulting in its wide and intentional spread by humans. The species has been known to escape cultivation and to naturalize. It is recorded as an environmental weed and occasionally as an invasive plant in parts of Africa, Asia, North and Central America and Pacific Islands though details of impact are lacking.
The characters that define the genus Kailarsenia (Rubiaceae), namely the stipule morphology, seed‐coat perimeter thickening and colporate pollen, are entirely consistent with the morphology of three Australian species placed in that genus. A preliminary cladistic analysis of the genus indicates that the Queensland species K. ochreata and K. jardinei are more closely related to the Bornean K. campanula than to K. suffruticosa an endemic of the Northern Territory, Australia. Kailarsenia suffruticosa has its affinities with the type of the genus K. tentaculata and K. lineata of tropical Asia. The recently described genus, Larsenaikia is reduced to synonomy.
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