Lemnaceae and Orontiaceae Are Phylogenetically and Morphologically Distinct from Araceae

Abstract

Duckweeds comprise a distinctive clade of pleustophytic monocots that traditionally has been classified as the family Lemnaceae. However, molecular evidence has called into question their phylogenetic independence, with some authors asserting instead that duckweeds should be reclassified as subfamily Lemnoideae of an expanded family Araceae. Although a close phylogenetic relationship of duckweeds with traditional Araceae has been supported by multiple studies, the taxonomic disposition of duckweeds must be evaluated more critically to promote nomenclatural stability and utility. Subsuming duckweeds as a morphologically incongruent lineage of Araceae effectively eliminates the family category of Lemnaceae that has been widely used for many years. Instead, we suggest that Araceae subfamily Orontioideae should be restored to family status as Orontiaceae, which thereby would enable the recognition of three morphologically and phylogenetically distinct lineages: Araceae, Lemnaceae, and Orontiaceae.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of Amorphophallus konjac provides insights into konjac glucomannan biosynthesis

“…2 ). This finding was in accordant with previous results that Lemnoideae was phylogenetically distinctive [42] . The deducted divergence time of Araceae in this study was about 140 Mya, which was consistent with previous studies (around 138 Ma) [43] .…”

The Ribosomal DNA Loci of the Ancient Monocot Pistia stratiotes L. (Araceae) Contain Different Variants of the 35S and 5S Ribosomal RNA Gene Units

“…BLAST analysis of the rDNA gene sequences revealed the highest similarities (∼99.5%) to the single entry of 18S rDNA genes from P. stratiotes (sampled in the United States) in GenBank, demonstrating high sequence conservation among different P. stratiotes ecotypes. The phylogenetic tree based on 18S rDNA sequences ( Supplementary Figure 3 ) groups P. stratiotes together with other Araceae species, with a certain distance from duckweeds, showing potential for further resolving phylogenetic relationships within the Araceae family ( Tippery et al, 2021 ). No entry for the 5.8S rDNA of P. stratiotes was found in GenBank.…”

Effects of Partial Substitution of Conventional Protein Sources with Duckweed (Lemna minor) Meal in the Feeding of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) on Growth Performances and the Quality Product

“…Duckweeds (Lemnaceae) [11,12] are free-floating aquatic plants, occurring spontaneously in standing or slow-flowing waters. They grow very rapidly and widely in nature, showing to be one of the fastest growing higher plants [13,14], and their supply is easy to recover.…”