Tidskrift: Plant Systematics and Evolution
Volym: 247
Sidor: 233-239

Abstrakt: (på engelska)

Phylogenetic analysis of rbcL cpDNA sequences for 34 members of the tribe Spermacoceae s. lat. indicates that the African genera Amphiasma, Conostomium, Manostachya, Pentanopsis and Phylohydrax form a strongly supported clade, characterised by basal placentation and heterostyly. This is a new position for the sea shore genus Phylohydrax that has previously been associated with Diodia and Spermacoce in Spermacoceae s. str. Amphiasma is not monophyletic as the two samples of A. gracilicaule included form a strongly supported clade with Pentanopsis fragrans. A new taxonomy is therefore proposed, where the previously monotypic Pentanopsis is circumscribed as a genus of two species in northeastern tropical Africa, whereas Amphiasma is treated in its original sense as a genus of about eight species confined to south-central tropical Africa. The new combination Pentanopsis gracilicaulis is made.