The systematics of Arundinoideae (Poaceae), a subfamily long considered as a dustbin group, has been progressively resolved in recent decades. The last members incertae sedis of Arundinoideae are two African species not observed for > 150 years and currently studied only on the basis of old herbarium specimens. Based on the sequencing of its whole plastid genome, Leptagrostis schimperiana was placed in the monophyletic Crinipedeae (Arundinoideae) in the grass plastome phylogenetic tree. To date, whole plastome sequencing based on a 167-year-old herbarium specimen is a new record. Using a morphological cladistic approach based on 51 morphological and anatomical characters, we confirmed the position of Leptagrostis schimperiana and showed that Piptophyllum welwitschii is also a member of Crinipedeae.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.