Morphometric study of Euchiton (Gnaphalieae: Asteraceae)
Christina FlannSchool of Botany, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia and National Herbarium of Victoria, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, Birdwood Avenue, South Yarra, Vic. 3141, Australia. Present address: Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis (section NHN), Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Generaal Foulkesweg 37, 6703 BL Wageningen, The Netherlands. Email: christinaflann@gmail.com
Australian Systematic Botany 23(4) 285-305 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB09058
Submitted: 24 December 2009 Accepted: 15 June 2010 Published: 31 August 2010
Abstract
A morphometric study was undertaken to survey taxa in the genus Euchiton Cass., distributed across Australia, New Zealand and South-east Asia. Phenetic analyses of herbarium specimens showed several taxa to be well delimited, including E. brassii (Mattf.) Anderb., E. breviscapus (Mattf.) Anderb., E. lateralis (C.J.Webb) Breitw. & J.M.Ward, E. limosus (D.G.Drury) Holub, E. litticola A.M.Buchanan, E. traversii (Hook.f.) Holub and E. umbricola (J.H.Willis) Anderb. However, the analyses showed that the remainder of Euchiton taxa are not yet satisfactorily resolved taxonomically. The distributions of E. involucratus (G.Forst.) Holub and E. sphaericus (Willd.) Holub were elucidated, although these widespread species would benefit from more research. Further research is necessary into species delimitation between E. paludosus (Petrie) Holub and E. polylepis (D.G.Drury) Breitw. & J.M.Ward and within the E. japonicus complex, including E. audax (D.G.Drury) Holub, E. collinus Cass., E. delicatus (D.G.Drury) Holub, E. ensifer (D.G.Drury) Holub, E. japonicus (Thunb.) Holub and E. ruahinicus (D.G.Drury) Breitw. & J.M.Ward. Recognition of a proposed taxon E. ‘gracilis’ was not supported and description at this point is not recommended. The New Zealand material of E. audax, E. delicatus and E. ensifer was shown to differ from the Australian material in the micromorphology of the cypselae. Euchiton collinus is considered a synonym of E. japonicus, which also includes the Australian material attributed to E. audax, E. delicatus and E. ensifer. The presence of E. limosus in Australia was confirmed, with it differing from E. involucratus in having glabrous cypselae with paired papillae in both Australian and New Zealand material. Generic boundaries of Euchiton are problematic. The generic placement of Gnaphalium clemensiae Mattf. and E. umbricola remains unresolved. Insufficient data were available to make taxonomic conclusions regarding the generic placement of G. chiliastrum (Mattf.) P.Royen and G. heleios P.Royen from New Guinea.
Acknowledgements
I am very grateful to Paul G. Wilson (PERTH) for access to his unpublished work on the group. I thank Pauline Ladiges, Neville Walsh, Marc Sosef, Ulf Swenson and two anonymous reviewers for detailed feedback on the manuscript; Nicholas Hind (K) for help with type material; Simon Crawford and Ann Bohte for help with SEM work; Katy Sommerville, Catherine Gallagher, Helen Barnes, Helen Rommelaar, Wayne Gebert (MEL), Mary Korver and Ines Schönberger (CHR) for help with loans; Chris Humphries† (BM), Guy Nesom (BRIT), Chris Puttock (BISH), Harold Robinson (US) and all other herbaria mentioned for loans and electronic data; Steve Sinclair, Claire Marks, Katie Throssell, Charlotte Yeabsley and Ruth Harland for assistance with fieldwork; Ilse Breitwieser, Josephine Ward, Steve Sinclair, Elizabeth Flann, Bob Flann, Rosanne Bersten and Niels Bijl for feedback on an early draft; and Kerry Ford and Adele Gibbs for help with living specimens.
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