Aulonemia yanachagensis (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae): A new species from central Peru

Aulonemia yanachagensis is described from cloud forests at 2600–3000 m elevation in the Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén Prov. Oxapampa, Dept. Pasco, Peru. It differs from all other congeners in its combination of prominent sheath auricles, with abundant radiate fimbriae, small foliage leaf blades, and awnless spikelets.     

Aulonemia fulgor (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), a new species from Mexico

Aulonemia fulgor shares with most species of this primarily South American genus a paniculate inflorescence, unbranched spikelets (i.e., not pseudospikelets), and weak or scandent culms that bear a single branch at the node. It is unusual in its amphipodial rhizomes and distinctive leaf anatomy in which, unlike most bamboos, the more complex epidermis is the adaxial.     

Molecular phylogeny of the arthrostylidioid bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae: Arthrostylidiinae) and new genus Didymogonyx

We present the first multi-locus chloroplast phylogeny of Arthrostylidiinae, a subtribe of neotropical woody bamboos. The morphological diversity of Arthrostylidiinae makes its taxonomy difficult and prior molecular analyses of bamboos have lacked breadth of sampling within the subtribe, leaving internal relationships uncertain. We sampled 51 taxa, chosen to span the range of taxonomic diversity and morphology, and analyzed a combined chloroplast DNA dataset with six chloroplast regions: ndhF, trnD-trnT, trnC-rpoB, rps16-trnQ, trnT-trnL, and rpl16. A consensus of maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses reveals monophyly of the Arthrostylidiinae and four moderately supported lineages within it. Six previously recognized genera were monophyletic, three polyphyletic, and two monotypic; Rhipidocladum sect. Didymogonyx is here raised to generic status. When mapped onto our topology, many of the morphological characters show homoplasy.     

<Emphasis Type=Italic>Aulonemia cochabambensis</Emphasis> (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae: Arthrostylidiinae), an anomalous new species from Bolivia

Aulonemia cochabambensis (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae: Arthrostylidiinae), a new species from the Department of Cochabamba, Bolivia, is described and illustrated. It has foliage leaves with delicate fimbriae, no sheath auricles, narrow blades, an abaxial dark marginal stripe, and intercostal sclerenchyma; few-flowered paniculate synflorescences; and robust, awned spikelets. The new species is compared with its putative relatives Aulonemia laxa and Arthrostylidium schomburgkii. A key to the species of Aulonemia in Bolivia is also included.     

Aulonemia bogotensis (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), a new species from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia

A new species of Aulonemia from the páramos of the Cordillera Oriental, Cundinamarca, Colombia, is described and illustrated. Aulonemia bogotensis is distinguished by its diminutive size, abaxially tomentose foliage leaf blades, and spikelets with muticous lemmas. Two similar Colombian endemics, A. pumila and A. trianae, are compared and contrasted with the new species.     

Arberella (Poaceae: Bambusoideae): A new genus from tropical America

Arberella, a new genus of bambusoid grasses, is established, based on the newly described species,A. dressiert. Also belonging to this new genus are the taxa originally namedOlyra flaccida andRaddia costa-ricensis and several new species from Panama and Brazil which will be described later. The new genus is presented in a key to the genera of the tribe Olyreae, of which it is a member, and a key is given to the three species treated in this paper.     

Non-monophyly of the woody bamboos (Bambuseae; Poaceae): a multi-gene region phylogenetic analysis of Bambusoideae s.s.

The taxonomy of Bambusoideae is in a state of flux and phylogenetic studies are required to help resolve systematic issues. Over 60 taxa, representing all subtribes of Bambuseae and related non-bambusoid grasses were sampled. A combined analysis of five plastid DNA regions, trnL intron, trnL-F intergenic spacer, atpB-rbcL intergenic spacer, rps16 intron, and matK, was used to study the phylogenetic relationships among the bamboos in general and the woody bamboos in particular. Within the BEP clade (Bambusoideae s.s., Ehrhartoideae, Pooideae), Pooideae were resolved as sister to Bambusoideae s.s. Tribe Bambuseae, the woody bamboos, as currently recognized were not monophyletic because Olyreae, the herbaceous bamboos, were sister to tropical Bambuseae. Temperate Bambuseae were sister to the group consisting of tropical Bambuseae and Olyreae. Thus, the temperate Bambuseae would be better treated as their own tribe Arundinarieae than as a subgroup of Bambuseae. Within the tropical Bambuseae, neotropical Bambuseae were sister to the palaeotropical and Austral Bambuseae. In addition, Melocanninae were found to be sister to the remaining palaeotropical and Austral Bambuseae. We discuss phylogenetic and morphological patterns of diversification and interpret them in a biogeographic context.     

A new combination in Hordeum (Triticeae, Poaceae)

A new combination is presented in Hordeum viz. H. brachyantherum ssp. californicum comb. & stat. nov., an endemic Californian diploid.     

A new species of Lithachne (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) and remarks on its sleep movements

A new species of herbaceous bambusoid grass,Lithachne humilis, is described from Honduras and compared with the three other species known in the genus. As in many other grasses of this alliance, the leaves ofL. humilis exhibit so-called “sleep movements” at night. The diurnal and nocturnal positions of its leaves are compared to those ofStrephium distichophyllum. The leaves of the new species and of two of the others inLithachne hang down vertically at night, while those ofStrephium fold upward, which is the usual position assumed by leaves of bambusoid grasses during the night.     

Chusquea and Swallenochloa (Poaceae: Bambusoideae): Generic relationships and new species

One new species of Chusquea and three of Swallenochloa are described. Morphological characters, especially of the culm leaves and branching, are pointed out as useful in distinguishing the two genera. A key to the 7 recognized species of Swallenochloa is given, and a discussion of its habitat, the páramo. Comment is made upon the recent evolution of the páramo habitat and therefore of the bamboo adapted to it, and reasons offered for the apparent active speciation which characterizes this bamboo genus.     

Revision on Cephalostachyum Munro (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) in China

Species of Cephalostachyum Munro (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from China are distributed in Yunnan and Tibet, mainly in Yunnan. In this paper, we discussed species of Cephalostachyum and compiled a key to species from China, based on recent studies on micromorphological characters of leaf epidermis and molecular phylogenetics of paleotropical woody bamboos. There is a total of seven species of Cephalostachyum distributed in China, all in Yunnan: Cchinense (Rendle) DZ. Li et HQ. Yang, Cfuchsianum Gamble et Hook. f., Cmannii (Gamble) Stapleton et DZ. Li, Cpallidum Munro, Cpingbianense (Hsueh et YM. Yang ex Yi et al.) DZ. Li et HQ. Yang, Csanguineum (WP. Zhang) DZ. Li et HQ. Yang and Cscandens Bor. Leptocanna Chia et HL. Fung and Cvirulentum YM Yang et F. Du are synonyms of Cephalostachyum Munro and Cfuchsianum Gamble et Hook. f. respectively. On the other hand, Cpergracile Munro and Cvirgatum (Munro) Kurz are morphologically closer to Schizostachyum Nees than to Cephalostachyum, and they should be treated as members of Schizostachyum. This paper is of significance to a worldwide revision of Cephalostachyum.     

Four new species of Chusquea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) from Brazil and Ecuador

Four new species ofChusquea—C. bahiana, C. bradei, C. leonardiorum, andC. loxensis—are described and illustrated.Chusquea bahiana andC. bradei, classified within subg.Rettbergia withinChusquea based on their infravaginal, geniculate branching and spatheate, often contracted inflorescences, are endemic to the Atlantic forests of Bahia and Espírito Santo, Brazil, where they are relatively uncommon.Chusquea leonardiorum andC. loxensis are native to the páramos of southern Ecuador;C. leonardiorum is moderately widespread, butC. loxensis is known from only two populations in the Parque Nacional Podocarpus in the province of Loja. These two species are allied withChusquea sect.Chusquea based on their erect to arching or scandent habit, extravaginal branching, and relatively numerous subsidiary branches per node.     

Flowering in a bamboo, Melocanna baccifera (Bambusoideae: Poaceae)

Melocanna baccifera (Roxburgh) Kurtz ex Skeels, a species of bamboo introduced to Sri Lanka from India, flowered and set fruit during 2001–2002. Culms that flowered and set fruit died. The incidence of flowering is significant in that flowering took place close to the predicted mast flowering in 2007. At the onset of flowering, inflorescences were predominantly staminate. But later in 2002, bisexual and pistilate flowers also developed leading to fruiting. Both protandry and protogyny were observed in the bisexual florets. Floral characters indicated that the species was mainly out-crossing. Although anther dehiscence released pollen and stigmas were exerted, pollination of stigmas was inefficient. The few stigmas that were naturally pollinated showed limited pollen tube growth. However, fruit set took place. Fruits were very rarely seen to germinate naturally. Many fruits were devoid of an embryo, indicating that parthenocarpy and/or apomixis may have taken place. Excised embryos germinated in vitro .  © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2003, 143 , 287–291.     

A new species of Rhopalosiphum (Hemiptera, Aphididae) on Chusquea tomentosa (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) from Costa Rica

The new species Rhopalosiphum chusqueae Pérez Hidalgo & Villalobos Muller, is described from apterous viviparous females caught on Chusquea tomentosa in Cerro de la Muerte (Costa Rica). The identity of the species is supported both by the morphological features and by a molecular phylogenetic analysis based on a fragment of the mitochondrial DNA containing the 5' region of the cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COI) and on the nuclear gene coding for the Elongation factor-1 alpha (EF1α). The taxonomic position of the new species is discussed. An identification key to the Aphidinae species living on plants of Bambusoideae (Poaceae) is presented.     

Multi-gene region phylogenetic analyses suggest reticulate evolution and a clade of Australian origin among paleotropical woody bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae)

The paleotropical woody bamboo subtribe Bambusinae has not been satisfactorily circumscribed and remains a major taxonomic problem. Genera such as Holttumochloa, Mullerochloa and Temburongia have not been confidently assigned to this subtribe. The phylogenetic relationships among genera hitherto placed in or near the Bambusinae, together with the related subtribes Racemobambosinae and Melocanninae, were investigated using three chloroplast DNA markers (rps16-trnQ, trnC-rpoB and trnD-T intergenic spacers) and a nuclear DNA marker (granule-bound starch synthase I, GBSSI) for a sample of 51 ingroup species and 2 outgroup species. Phylogenetic analyses revealed four distinct lineages among the members of the currently recognized Bambusinae: (1) the Bambusa-Dendrocalamus-Gigantochloa (BDG) complex, (2) the Holttumochloa-Kinabaluchloa clade, (3) the Dinochloa-Mullerochloa-Neololeba-Sphaerobambos (DMNS) clade and (4) Temburongia simplex. The BDG complex, which comprises the core of the Bambusinae, appears to have a complex evolutionary history as indicated by incongruence between the cpDNA and the nuclear gene topologies. Introgressive hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting are possible underlying causes for this complexity. The distinction of the climbing-scrambling bamboo lineages from the core Bambusinae and Racemobambosinae suggests directions for investigating the possible existence of further subtribes with increased taxon and geographical sampling. Possible biogeographic scenarios associated with the Holttumochloa-Kinabaluchloa clade and the DMNS clade are discussed.     

Sucrea (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), a new genus from Brazil

Sucrea, a new genus of herbaceous bambusoid grasses is based on the newly described species,S. monophylla. Also belonging to this genus is another new species,S. maculata, and the taxon originally namedOlyra sampaiana. The new genus is contrasted in a key with others of its tribe Olyreae, and a key is given to its three species.     

Taxonomic notes on Metasasa and Indocalamus nanunicus (Poaceae: Bambusoideae)

Based on comprehensive field observations and careful herbarium studies, we discuss the status of the type species of Metasasa W. T. Lin (M. carinata W. T. Lin) and entities previously treated as synonyms of its name. Three species in two genera were involved. First, M. carinata and M. albofarinosa W. T. Lin were confirmed to be conspecific and a new combination Acidosasa carinata (Lin) D. Z. Li & Y. X. Zhang is proposed. Secondly, although M. carinata was previously treated as a synonym of Acidosasa nanunica (McClure) C. S. Chao & G. Y. Yang, close morphological study revealed that these two are not conspecific. Pseudosasa nanunica (McClure) Z. P. Wang & G. H. Ye is restored to accommodate this distinct species. Finally, another name previously treated as a synonym of A. nanunica, Pseudosasa acutivagina T. H. Wen & S. C. Chen should also be resumed. Synonyms are provided for each of these three species.