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Australian Systematic Botany Australian Systematic Botany Society
Taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of plants
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Systematics of the Rubus fruticosus aggregate (Rosaceae) and other exotic Rubus taxa in Australia

Katherine J. Evans A B F , David E. Symon C , Molly A. Whalen D , John R. Hosking A E , Robyn M. Barker C and Julie A. Oliver A D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management, University of Adelaide, Waite Campus, PMBI, Glen Osmond, SA 5064, Australia.

B Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research, University of Tasmania, New Town Research Laboratories, 13 St Johns Avenue, New Town, Tas. 7008, Australia.

C State Herbarium of South Australia, Plant Biodiversity Centre, Department of Environment and Heritage, PO Box 2732, Kent Town, SA 5071, Australia.

D School of Biological Sciences, The Flinders University of South Australia, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.

E NSW Department of Primary Industries, 4 Marsden Park Road, Calala, NSW 2340, Australia.

F Corresponding author. Email: Kathy.Evans@dpiw.tas.gov.au

Australian Systematic Botany 20(3) 187-251 https://doi.org/10.1071/SB06044
Submitted: 30 November 2006  Accepted: 15 February 2007   Published: 22 June 2007

Abstract

Exotic Rubus taxa in Australia have been revised following consultation with European and North American experts in Rubus, allied with studies of variation in patterns of DNA restriction fragments and morphology. Many of these taxa have names that are applied for the first time in Australia (prefaced with a †). The major focus of the work was the Rubus fruticosus L. aggregate and taxa of this aggregate covered here are R. anglocandicans A. Newton, R. cissburiensis W.C. Barton & Ridd., †R. echinatus Lindl., †R. erythrops Edees & A. Newton, R. laciniatus Willd., R. leightonii Lees ex Leight. †R. leucostachys Schleich. ex Sm., †R. phaeocarpus W.C.R. Watson, R. polyanthemus Lindeb., †R. riddelsdellii Rilstone, †R. rubritinctus W.C.R. Watson, R. ulmifolius Schott (including R. ulmifolius var. ulmifolius and †R. ulmifolius var. anoplothyrsus Sudre), and R. vestitus Weihe, along with two undescribed taxa, Rubus sp. Scott Creek (D.E. Symon 16504) and Rubus sp. Tasmania (J.R. Hosking 1551). Other naturalised taxa are R. alceifolius Poir., R. ellipticus Sm., R. idaeus L., †R. laudatus A. Berger, †R. loganobaccus L.H. Bailey, †R. philadelphicus Blanch., R. roribaccus (L.H. Bailey) Rydb. and R. rugosus Sm. Patterns of morphological and molecular variation among individuals of the R. fruticosus agg. in Australia were examined. In phenetic analyses based on examination of 137 herbarium specimens and 27 morphological characters, taxa showed varying degrees of separation. Some taxa, for example R. anglocandicans and the two varieties of R. ulmifolius, formed distinct groups in these analyses whereas there was considerable overlap among individuals of other species. Fifty M13/HaeIII DNA-banding patterns (phenotypes) were identified among 198 collections from the R. fruticosus agg. across Australia. Thirty-five DNA phenotypes were correlated with 15 taxa of the R. fruticosus agg.; the remaining 15 DNA types correlated poorly or were determined with only a moderate level of confidence. R. anglocandicans, R. echinatus, R. leightonii, R. leucostachys, R. sp. Tasmania, R. ulmifolius and R. vestitus had two or more DNA phenotypes whereas only one DNA phenotype was observed for the remaining eight taxa. Taxa that were more distinct with respect to their DNA phenotypes also tended to be more distinct with respect to morphology based on a Mantel matrix correlation test. Within taxa that were difficult to tell apart morphologically, those sharing the same DNA phenotype were considered members of the same Rubus taxon. These results are discussed in the context of the evolution and ecology of the R. fruticosus agg. in Australia and in relation to the incomplete taxonomy of Rubus in Europe and North America.


Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management (Weeds CRC), under the directorship of Professor Richard T. Roush. Ms Julie Oliver was an honours student funded by the Weeds CRC. Dr David E. Symon, an honorary associate of the State Herbarium of South Australia, made a significant voluntary contribution. We thank Mrs Judith Symon for assisting David Symon in the collection of Rubus in South Australia and Tasmania; Ms Beth Chandler for all of the taxon illustrations and Mr Gilbert Dashorst for Figs 12 and 13 (State Herbarium of South Australia, AD) for illustrations and drawings; the directors of BRI, CANB, HO, MEL, NSW and PERTH for lending material; Dr Duncan Mackay (Flinders University) for assistance with numerical analyses; Ms Katherine Lockwood (Flinders University) for assistance with data collection and testing the Lucid key; Dr Hilde Nybom (The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) for help in interpreting DNA analyses; Ms Midori K. Jones (University of Adelaide), Mr Eligio Bruzzese and Mr Franz A. Mahr (Department of Primary Industries, Victoria) for assistance in the collection and propagation of material, and numerous co-operators from Agriculture Western Australia; Conservation and Land Management, WA; Water and Rivers Commission, WA; CSIRO Division of Entomology and Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment, Tasmania. We are indebted to European and American botanists who provided names for the Rubus species concerned but would particulary like to thank H. E. Weber and A. Newton for their time in providing names for members of the R. fruitcosus agg. We are also grateful to the reviewers for comments that improved this large manuscript and for their rapidity in providing these.


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Index to scientific names

Accepted names are in Roman. The numbers refer to species description in which the name will be found



A1