Clarifying the type of the polyphyletic genus Schizachyrium (Poaceae: Andropogoneae)

Schizachyrium Nees is one of the largest genera of the grass tribe Andropogoneae and is clearly polyphyletic, including at least three distinct lineages. For more than a century, the type of Schizachyrium has been the subject of disagreement in the literature, with most authors considering it to be...

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Published inKew bulletin Vol. 76; no. 2; pp. 327 - 331
Main Authors Welker, Cassiano A. D., Prado, Jefferson, Kellogg, Elizabeth A., Gandhi, Kanchi N.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Springer 01.06.2021
Springer London
Subjects
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Life Sciences
Plant Ecology
Plant Sciences
Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography
nomenclature
Gramineae
Pfeiffer
typification
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ISSN0075-5974
1874-933X
DOI10.1007/s12225-021-09939-2

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Summary:Schizachyrium Nees is one of the largest genera of the grass tribe Andropogoneae and is clearly polyphyletic, including at least three distinct lineages. For more than a century, the type of Schizachyrium has been the subject of disagreement in the literature, with most authors considering it to be S. brevifolium (Sw.) Nees ex Buse, but others accepting S. condensatum (Kunth) Nees. Our investigation confirmed that the earliest effective typification of Schizachyrium was performed by Pfeiffer (1874) and thus S. condensatum is the correct type of the genus. Elucidation of this issue is crucial for the future taxonomic rearrangements of this polyphyletic genus since its type will define which lineage will retain the generic name Schizachyrium.
ISSN:0075-5974
1874-933X
DOI:10.1007/s12225-021-09939-2