Systematics of Disakisperma (Poaceae, Chloridoideae, Chlorideae)

By

Snow, Neil Wilton
Peterson, Paul M.
Romaschenko, Konstantin

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2013

Original Publication

PhytoKeys

Volume

26

Pages

21-70

Subjects

Coelachyrum , Conservation , Cypholepis , Disakisperma , Grasses , ITS , leaf anatomy , lectotypification , Leptochloa , Phylogeny , plastid DNA sequences , stem anatomy , systematics , taxonomy , Thysanoptera

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers [2010]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.26.5649

 

Abstract

Disakisperma Steud. is a genus of four predominantly perennial C4 (NAD-ME) species in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Its species previously were treated in Eleusine, Eragrostis, Coelachyrum, Cypholepis, Leptochloa, or Diplachne by nearly all authors. It includes the widespread North and South American amphitropical disjunct Disakisperma dubium (type of the genus), D. eleusine from southern Africa, D. obtusiflorum from central and northern Africa to southern Asia, and D. yemenicum, comb. nov. from eastern and southern Africa to Yemen. This paper provides a key to the species, geographic distributions, descriptions, including comments on the anatomy of leaves, stems, lemmatal micromorphology, a phylogram based on five molecular markers, and discussions of chromosome numbers. The species are rarely, if at all, known outside of their native ranges and are unlikely to become aggressively invasive. All species are considered Least Concern following IUCN guidelines. Lectotypes are designated for Diplachne dubia var. pringleana Kuntze, Disakisperma mexicana Steud., Eragrostis yemenica Schweinf., and Leptochloa appletonii Stapf.