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Plant Biol (Stuttg) 2000; 2(5): 536-546
DOI: 10.1055/s-2000-7473
Original Paper
Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ·New York

Morphological Evidence for an Extended Tribe - Coccocypseleae (Rubiaceae-Rubioideae)

F. Piesschaert 1 , S. Huysmans 1 , I. Jaimes 1 , E. Robbrecht 2 , E. Smets 1
  • 1 Laboratory of Plant Systematics, Institute of Botany and Microbiology, K. U. Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium
  • 2 National Botanic Garden of Belgium, Domein van Bouchout, Meise, Belgium
Further Information

Publication History

April 6, 2000

July 21, 2000

Publication Date:
31 December 2000 (online)

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Abstract

Coccocypselum is a small neotropical genus of creeping herbs belonging to the Rubiaceae (Rubioideae). A recent macromolecular study suggested a previously unknown relationship between Coccocypselum and two other neotropical genera, Declieuxia and Hindsia, but the morphological evidence for this relationship was obscure. In the present paper, morphological characters supporting the conclusions from macromolecular data are presented. The most important similarities between Coccocypselum, Declieuxia, and Hindsia are found in their pollen and stipule morphology. Pollen of the three genera share a typical exine ornamentation, called a complex reticulum, which consists of a psilate suprareticulum and spinulate infrareticulum. In some specimens of Hindsia longiflora, a transitional stage between a complex reticulum and a simple, spinulate reticulum is encountered. The interpetiolar stipules of Hindsia, Declieuxia and Coccocypselum have an identical basic structure: they bear a central, colleter-tipped awn that extends downwards to the next node as a distinct stem ridge. Some less conspicuous similarities of habit, calyx, and corolla are also discussed. The morphological data are, in part, confirmed by distributional data, Declieuxia and Hindsia having a remarkably congruent centre of diversity in the southeast of Brazil. It is concluded that the macromolecular data, combined with this new morphological and distributional evidence, justify an extended tribe Coccocypseleae, comprising the genera Coccocypselum, Hindsia, and Declieuxia.

Key words

Coccocypseleae - complex reticulum - Declieuxia - Hindsia - pollen morphology - Rubiaceae - stipule morphology

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F. Piesschaert

Laboratory of Plant Systematics Institute of Botany and Microbiology K. U. Leuven

Kardinaal Mercierlaan 92 3001 Leuven Belgium

Email: Frederic.Piesschaert@bio.kuleuven.ac.be

Section Editor: M. Hasebe

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