Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA ; Present address: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Published: August 2015
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Systematic investigations and phylogenetic analyses have indicated that Astelia, as currently circumscribed, is paraphyletic, with Collospermum nested within it. Further, AsteliasubgenusAstelia is polyphyletic, and Astelia subgenera Asteliopsis and Tricella are paraphyletic, as currently circumscribed. Revision of the subgeneric classification of Astelia is warranted to ensure classification accurately reflects the evolutionary history of these taxa. Collospermum is relegated to synonymy within Astelia. Astelia is dioecious or polygamodioecious, with a superior ovary, anthers dorsi- or basifixed, pistillodes or pistils that have a single short or poorly defined style, a 3 lobed stigma, and fleshy uni- or trilocular fruit with funicular hairs that are poorly to well developed. AsteliasubgenusCollospermum (Skottsb.) Birch is described. A key to Astelia sections is provided. Asteliahastata Colenso, Asteliamontana Seem., and Asteliamicrosperma Colenso pro parte are resurrected and the new combination Asteliasamoense (Skottsb.) Birch, comb. nov. is made.
University of Zurich, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, Botanical Museum, Zollikerstrasse 107, 8008 Zurich, Switzerland; University of Potsdam, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Biodiversity Research/Systematic Botany, Maulbeerallee 2a, 14469 Potsdam, Germany. Electronic address:
The astelioid families (Asteliaceae, Blandfordiaceae, Boryaceae, Hypoxidaceae, and Lanariaceae) have centers of diversity in Australasia and temperate Africa, with secondary centers of diversity in Afromontane Africa, Asia, and Pacific Islands. The global distribution of these families makes this an excellent lineage to test if current distribution patterns are the result of vicariance or long-distance dispersal and to evaluate the roles of Tertiary climatic and geological drivers in lineage diversification. Sequence data were generated from five chloroplast regions (petL-psbE, rbcL, rps16-trnK, trnL-trnLF, trnS-trnSG) for 104 ingroup species sampled across global diversity.
Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA ; Present address: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Department of Botany, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, 96822, USA ; Present address: Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Birdwood Avenue, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia.
Systematic investigations and phylogenetic analyses have indicated that Astelia, as currently circumscribed, is paraphyletic, with Collospermum nested within it. Further, AsteliasubgenusAstelia is polyphyletic, and Astelia subgenera Asteliopsis and Tricella are paraphyletic, as currently circumscribed. Revision of the subgeneric classification of Astelia is warranted to ensure classification accurately reflects the evolutionary history of these taxa.
Asteliaceae (4 genera, 36 species) are found on both continents and island archipelagos in the southern hemisphere and across the Pacific. The circumscription of Asteliaceae and intrageneric relationships are poorly understood. We generated a phylogeny including all genera and 99% of the species using DNA sequence data from chloroplast (trnL, psbA-trnH, rps16, and petL-psbE) and nuclear (NIA-i3) regions.
