Abstract Detail

Systematics

Starr, Julian [1], Ford, Bruce [2], Léveillé-Bourret, Étienne [1], Vũ, Anh Tài [3], Nguyễn, Thị Kim Thanh [4].

The rediscovery and conservation of the rare Vietnamese endemic Eriophorum scabriculme and its importance to generic circumscription in the Cariceae-Dulichieae-Scirpeae clade (Cyperaceae).

For those familiar with boreal bogs and wet tundra, species of Eriophorum ("the cotton grasses") will undoubtedly represent some of the most striking and memorable taxa they have encountered. This small genus of 15 Holarctic sedges (Cyperaceae) is remarkable because its inflorescences produce large, brilliantly white to rusty-red cottony masses when its flowers develop a perianth of highly elongated bristles after anthesis. In this study, we document the rediscovery of Eriophorum scabriculme, a narrow Vietnamese endemic known from only two collections made approximately 7 km apart near Sa Pa in L�o Cai Province over 74 years ago. Using DNA sequences, embryology, and morphology we test the hypothesis that E. scabriculme is aligned within currently recognised genera in the Cariceae-Dulichieae-Scirpeae clade or whether its unique character combinations could provide evidence for a new generic lineage. In addition, we document the discovery of seven new populations, and we extend its range westward to Lai Ch�u Province and southward in L�o Cai Province by more than 47 km. Our results demonstrate that E. scabriculme is best treated in the genus Trichophorum, we emend its description, provide the first pictures and accurate illustration of the species, and assess its conservation status in Vietnam. Our study corroborates the fact that in such a diverse and taxonomically difficult family like the sedges, conspicuous characters like highly elongated bristles may be useful for dividing diversity, but they are no guarantee that the groups they mark are natural.

1 - University of Ottawa, Department of Biology, Gendron Hall, Room 160, 30 Marie-Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, K1N 6N5, Canada
2 - University Of Manitoba, Department Of Biological Sciences, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
3 - Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Institute of Geography, 18 Hoàng Quốc Việt, Nghĩa Đô, Cầu Giấy, Hanoi, Vietnam
4 - VNU University of Science, Department of Botany, 334 Nguyễn Trãi, Thượng Đình, Thanh Xuân, Hanoi, Vietnam

Keywords:
Scirpeae
Eriophorum
Scirpus
Trichophorum
Cyperaceae
Conservation
Generic limits
Taxonomy.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 3, Systematics I--Tracheophytes, Pteridophytes to Monocots 1
Location: 110/Mayo Civic Center
Date: Monday, July 23rd, 2018
Time: 11:30 AM
Number: 3014
Abstract ID:473
Candidate for Awards:None