Famatinanthus, a recently established monotypic genus, has a unique style type with a cobblestone-like surface. These cobblestonelike units comprise several epidermal cells that often have periclinal walls, resulting in a partially “double epidermis.” The particular epidermis supports the exclusion from the genus Aphyllocladus (based on morphological data) as well as the elevation of the genus Famatinanthus to tribe and subfamily rank (based on chloroplast DNA data). To demonstrate the uniqueness of the stylar morphology of Famatinanthus, its styles and those of the remaining four species of Aphyllocladus were studied by SEM and histological sections. In addition, representatives of the basal tribes that share non-stylar characters with Famatinanthus, namely Gochnatieae, Hyalideae, Onoserideae, and Stifftieae, were studied in comparison. Due to the lack of stylar hairs, Famatinanthus is clearly distinct from Aphyllocladus, Onoseris (Onoserideae), and Hyaloseris (Stifftieae), which have stylar hairs on the entire dorsal side or only on the upper part of the stylar branches. Famatinanthus shares the glabrous stylar surface with Gochnatieae and Hyalideae, but in the latter tribes the rounded stylar branches are dorsally thickened (Gochnatia style type). A partially “double epidermis” can episodically be observed in the genus Stifftia, which has not been previously mentioned as a relative of Famatinanthus. The extensive sclerenchymatic tissue present in the stylar branches of Famatinanthus, however, is not found in Stifftia.
How to translate text using browser tools
26 August 2016
Unique Style Morphology in the Monotypic Famatinanthoideae-Famatinantheae, a Recently Established Subfamily and Tribe of Asteraceae
Claudia Erbar
ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE
Systematic Botany
Vol. 41 • No. 3
Jul-Sep 2016
Vol. 41 • No. 3
Jul-Sep 2016
cobblestone-like stylar surface
Compositae
Famatinanthus
Histology
SEM