Format: ORAL

Mario Martnez-Azorn1* , Manuel B. Crespo1, Mara ngeles Alonso-Vargas1

1University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain

Generic circumscription and systematics in Hyacinthaceae (= Asparagaceae subfam. Scilloideae), have been controversial in recent decades, with contrasting treatments based on preliminary and partial studies focusing only on morphology and/or limited DNA sequence data. This created considerable instability at both generic level and generic relationships. Recent treatments in subfamilies Ornithogaloideae and Urgineoideae have recognized a single genus Ornithogalum or up to four genera in Ornithogaloideae or only two genera in Urgineoideae, with a very broadly conceived Drimia. These proposals have been accepted for the last years by influential repositories (such as POWO, etc) and represented synonymization of several traditionally accepted genera with very distinct morphology, such as Galtonia, Neopatersonia and several others into Ornithogalum s.l.; several groups traditionally included in Ornithogalum into Albuca s.l.; or Schizobasis, Thuranthos, Litanthus, etc in Drimia s.l. In this way, recognition of such very broad concepts compromise acceptance of most genera in flowering plants and in petaloid monocotyledons and it is our aim to provide an alternative solution based on comprehensive studies combining morphological, molecular and distributional data. Our latest phylogenetic analyses involving plastid and nuclear DNA regions and a selection of 40 morphological characters covers 293 samples of Urgineoideae (ca. 80% of its diversity) and yielded 31 well-defined clades or lineages, most corresponding to previously described genera, although some have required description or revised circumscription. Regarding subfamily Ornithogaloideae, our studies evidence the existence of 19 lineages that can be accepted at genus rank and are linked to a defined biogeography. As in other monocot families, a considerable degree of homoplasy was observed in morphology, especially in those groups with unspecialized flowers; nonetheless, consistent syndromes of traditional and novel characters are shown to support clade recognition at genus rank.