Danthonioideae is a mainly
southern hemisphere subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
of
grasses
Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in ...
, containing the single tribe Danthonieae and one unplaced genus,
with altogether roughly 300 species.
It includes
herb
Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...
aceous to partially
wood
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
y perennial or annual (less common) grasses that grow in open
grassland
A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...
s, shrublands, and woodlands.
It belongs to the
PACMAD
The PACMAD clade (previously PACCMAD, PACCAD, or PACC) is one of two major lineages (or clades) of the true grasses (Poaceae), regrouping six subfamilies and about 5700 species, more than half of all true grasses. Its sister group is the BOP cla ...
clade of grasses, but unlike some other lineages in that clade, grasses in the Danthonioideae exclusively use the
C3 photosynthetic pathway.
Its
sister group
In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree.
Definition
The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram:
Taxon A and ...
is the subfamily
Chloridoideae
Chloridoideae is one of the largest subfamily, subfamilies of Poaceae, grasses, with roughly 150 genera and 1,600 species, mainly found in arid tropical or subtropical grasslands. Within the PACMAD clade, their sister group is the Danthonioideae. ...
.
There are 19 genera, 18 of which are placed in tribe Danthonieae, while one is as yet unplaced (''
incertae sedis
or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...
'').
The relationships within the group are complicated; conflicting
phylogenetic
In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organisms based on empirical dat ...
evidence from
nuclear
Nuclear may refer to:
Physics
Relating to the nucleus of the atom:
*Nuclear engineering
*Nuclear physics
*Nuclear power
*Nuclear reactor
*Nuclear weapon
*Nuclear medicine
*Radiation therapy
*Nuclear warfare
Mathematics
* Nuclear space
*Nuclear ...
and
chloroplast DNA suggests that
hybridisation events played an important role in the Danthonioideae.
*''incertae sedis'':
*: ''
Danthonidium''
* tribe Danthonieae:
*: ''
Austroderia'', ''
Capeochloa'', ''
Chaetobromus'', ''
Chimaerochloa'', ''
Chionochloa'', ''
Cortaderia'' (syn. ''Lamprothyrsus''), ''
Danthonia'', ''
Geochloa'', ''
Merxmuellera'', ''
Notochloe'', ''
Pentameris'' (syn. ''Pentaschistis'', ''Poagrostis'', ''Prionanthium''), ''
Phaenanthoecium'', ''
Plinthanthesis'', ''
Pseudopentameris'', ''
Rytidosperma'' (syn. ''Austrodanthonia'', ''Monostachya'', ''Notodanthonia'', ''Pyrrhantherea''), ''
Schismus
''Schismus'' is a genus of African and Eurasian plants in the Poaceae, grass family. Two species are naturalized in North America, where they are known as Mediterranean grass.
; Species
* ''Schismus arabicus'' - Greece, North Africa, East Africa ...
'' (syn. ''
Karroochloa''), ''
Tenaxia'', ''
Tribolium''
References
External links
*
*
Poaceae subfamilies
Grasses of Africa
Grasses of Asia
Grasses of North America
Grasses of Oceania
Grasses of South America
{{Poaceae-stub