The generic position ofAustrofestuca littoralisand the reinstatement ofHookerochloaandFestucella(Poaceae) based on evidence from nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (trnL‐trnF) DNA sequences

Abstract

The segregation of the grass genus Austrofestuca from Festuca has been debated because in some respects Austrofestuca is morphologically similar to Poa. Analyses of DNA sequence information from nuclear (internal transcribed spacer) and chloroplast (trnL-trnF)

Phylogeny of Poa (Poaceae) Based on trnT–trnF Sequence Data: Major Clades and Basal Relationships

“…Parodiochloa. A recent study by Hunter et al (2004) based on ITS nuclear DNA and trnL-trnF cpDNA sequence data also confirms Austrofestuca s.s. as a member of the Poa clade. Although generally treated within Poa, Arctopoa was considered as a separate genus by Probatova (1974Probatova ( , 1985 and Tzvelev (1989).…”

“…Subtribes are given in Tzvelev (1976), but not in Tzvelev (1989). A ϭ Aveneae-type cpDNA group; P ϭ Poeae-type cpDNA group; * ϭ cpDNA group confirmed (Soreng et al 1990;Soreng and Davis 2000;Hunter et al 2004;Gillespie and Soreng 2005;Davis and Soreng 2006; R. J. Soreng, J. I. Davis, and L. J. Gillespie unpubl. data).…”

New combinations in Hookerochloa and Poa (Gramineae)

“…While there had always been some thought that Austrofestuca littoralis may have been a species of Poa (see Edgar and Connor 2000 for a summary of the synonymy), it was not thought to be a good fit in that genus (Edgar and Connor 2000); the base of the lemma lacks a web and has a dense crown of short hairs to 0.5-0.8 mm long, and the apex said to be muticous or mucronate. Recent DNA studies (Hunter et al 2004;Gillespie & Soreng 2005;Gillespie et al 2007) have made it clear that A. littoralis and A. pubinervis are species of Poa. Gillespie and Soreng (2005) suggest that Poa billardierei (Spreng.)…”

Saxipoa and Sylvipoa - two new genera and a new classification for Australian Poa (Poaceae: Poinae)

“…Austrofestuca (Gillespie and Soreng 2005;Jacobs et al 2008). The latter two species differ in several ways from other Poa (see Hunter et al 2004;Gillespie and Soreng 2005;Soreng and Gillespie 2007), likely because of adaptations to their sand-dune habitat (convergent with P. macrantha Vasey of North America, P. sect. Madropoa Soreng).…”

“…Austrofestuca (Gillespie and Soreng 2005;Jacobs et al 2008), encompassing the latter two species (as P. billardierei and P. pubinervis; Jacobs et al 2008). For the other two species, the genera Hookerochloa and Festucella, described by Alexeev (1985), were resurrected (Hunter et al 2004;. Hookerochloa was then expanded to include Festucella because the morphological characters used to separate the two species were deemed unsatisfactory for distinguishing them as separate genera .…”