Morphologically, the tribe Cynodonteae is a diverse group of grasses containing about 839 species in 96 genera and 18 subtribes, found primarily in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas. Because the classification of these genera and species has been poorly understood, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis on 213 species (389 samples) in the Cynodonteae using sequence data from seven plastid regions (rps16‐trnK spacer, rps16 intron, rpoC2, rpl32‐trnL spacer, ndhF, ndhA intron, ccsA) and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS 1 & 2) to infer evolutionary relationships and refine the current classification. The phylogenetic tree from the combined plastid and nuclear region is well resolved depicting a strongly supported monophyletic Cynodonteae that includes 17 strongly supported clades corresponding to the subtribes Tripogoninae, Pappophorinae, Traginae, Muhlenbergiinae, Hilariinae, Scleropogoninae, Boutelouinae, Monanthochloinae, Dactylocteniinae, Eleusininae, Aeluropodinae, Triodiinae, Orcuttiinae, Zaqiqahinae, Farragininae, Perotidinae, and Gouiniinae, and two moderately supported clades corresponding to the Orininae and Hubbardochloinae. The plastid data places Odyssea paucinervis as sister to Neobouteloua in the Dactylocteniinae whereas the nuclear ITS data places it as sister to Aeluropus in the Aeluropodinae. Odyssea mucronata is strongly supported sister to the Cteniinae, Trichoneurinae, Farragininae, Perotidinae, Hubbardochloinae, and the Gouiniinae, and not closely related to Odyssea paucinervis. The nuclear data placed Acrachne racemosa as sister to Dactyloctenium in the Dactylocteniinae while the plastid data places it near the base of the Eleusininae. Our new classification recognizes three new subtribes (bringing the total to 21 subtribes): Dactylocteniinae that includes Acrachne, Brachychloa, Dactyloctenium, and Neobouteloua; Orininae with Cleistogenes and Orinus; and Zaqiqahinae with a single genus, Zaqiqah gen. nov.; Hubbardochloinae (resurrected here) with seven genera; and describes four new genera: Orthacanthus (Traginae) with a single species, Triplasiella (Gouiniinae) with a single species, Tripogonella (Tripogoninae) with three species, and Zaqiqah with a single species. We additionally provide a subgeneric classification of Distichlis recognizing three sections: D. sect. Monanthochloe, D. sect. Bajaenses, and D. sect. Spicatae, the latter two representing new sections. The following nine new combinations are made: Distichlis sect. Monanthochloe, Orthacanthus pedunculatus, Tridentopsis buckleyana, Tridentopsis mutica var. elongata, Triplasiella eragrotoides, Tripogonella loliiformis, Tripogonella minima, Tripogonella spicata, and Zaqiqah mucronata. We lectotypify the following five names: Festuca loliiformis, F. minima, F. mucronata, Triodia eragrostoides, and Uralepis elongata.

The grass subtribe Sporobolinae contains six genera: Calamovilfa (5 spp. endemic to North America), Crypsis (10 spp. endemic to Asia and Africa), Psilolemma (1 sp. endemic to Africa), Spartina (17 spp. centered in North America), Sporobolus (186 spp. distributed worldwide), and Thellungia (1 sp. endemic to Australia). Most species in this subtribe have spikelets with a single floret, 1-veined (occasionally 3 or more) lemmas, a ciliate membrane or line of hairs for a ligule, and fruits with free pericarps (modified caryopses). Phylogenetic analyses were conducted on 177 species (281 samples), of which 145 species were in the Sporobolinae, using sequence data from four plastid regions (rpl32-trnL spacer, ndhA intron, rps16-trnK spacer, rps16 intron) and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS) to infer evolutionary relationships and provide an evolutionary framework on which to revise the classification. The phylogenetic analysis provides weak to moderate support for a paraphyletic Sporobolus that includes Calamovilfa, Crypsis, Spartina, and Thellungia. In the combined plastid tree, Psilolemma jaegeri is sister to a trichotomy that includes an unsupported Urochondra-Zoysia clade (subtr. Zoysiinae), a strongly supported Sporobolus somalensis lineage, and a weakly supported Sporobolus s.l. lineage. In the ITS tree the Zoysiinae is sister to a highly supported Sporobolinae in which a Psilolemma jaegeri-Sporobolus somalensis clade is sister to the remaining species of Sporobolus s.l. Within Sporobolus s.l. the nuclear and plastid analyses identify the same 16 major clades of which 11 are strongly supported in the ITS tree and 12 are strongly supported in the combined plastid tree. The positions of three of these clades representing proposed sections Crypsis, Fimbriatae, and Triachyrum are discordant in the nuclear and plastid trees, indicating their origins may involve hybridization. Seven species fall outside the major clades in both trees, and the placement of ten species of Sporobolus are discordant in the nuclear and plastid trees. We propose incorporating Calamovilfa, Crypsis, Spartina, Thellungia, and Eragrostis megalosperma within Sporobolus, and make the requisite 35 new combinations or new names. The molecular results support the recognition of 11 sections and 11 subsections within Sporobolus s.l.; four sections are new:

The subtribe Eleusininae (Poaceae: Chloridoideae: Cynodonteae) is a diverse group containing about 212 species in 31 genera found primarily in low latitudes in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas, and the classification among these genera and species is poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the following 28 Eleusininae genera: Acrachne, Afrotrichloris, Apochiton, Astrebla, Austrochloris, Brachyachne, Chloris, Chrysochloa, Coelachyrum, Cynodon, Daknopholis, Dinebra, Diplachne, Disakisperma, Eleusine, Enteropogon, Eustachys, Harpochloa, Leptochloa, Lepturus, Lintonia, Microchloa, Ochthochloa, Oxychloris, Saugetia, Schoenefeldia, Stapfochloa, and Tetrapogon. The goals of our study were to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the subtribe Eleusininae using molecular data with increased species sampling compared to earlier studies. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted on 402 samples, of which 148 species (342 individuals) were in the Eleusininae, using four plastid (rpl32‐trnL spacer, ndhA intron, rps16‐trnK spacer, rps16 intron) and nuclear ITS 1 & 2 (ribosomal internal transcribed spacer) sequences to infer evolutionary relationships and revise the classification. We found strong support for the following Eleusininae lineages: Acrachne, Apochiton, Astrebla, Austrochloris, Chloris, Chrysochloa, Cynodon, Daknopholis, Dinebra, Diplachne, Disakisperma, Eleusine, Enteropogon, Eustachys, Leptochloa, Lepturus, Micrachne gen. nov., Stapfochloa, and Tetrapogon, and moderate support for Harpochloa and Microchloa. Four species of Brachyachne, including the type, are imbedded within Cynodon; Oxychloris scariosa (monotypic) is sister to Harpochloa‐Microchloa; Coelachyrum is polyphyletic since C. lagopoides, Apochiton burttii, and C. poiflorum form a grade, with the latter species sister to Eleusine; Schoenefeldia appears paraphyletic since Afrotrichloris martinii and Schoenefeldia transiens together are sister to Schoenefeldia gracilis; Saugetia fasciculata, Enteropogon brandegeei, and E. chlorideus are embedded within Tetrapogon; Lintonia nutans and Ochthochloa compressa are embedded in Chloris; and Enteropogon mollis and Chloris exilis are embedded in Leptochloa. Our plastid and ITS analyses show rearrangement of lineages within Acrachne and Chloris, indicating possible hybridization events or evidence for multiple origins. The molecular results support recognition of a new genus, Micrachne with five species and emendation of Stapfochloa with six species. We provide 22 new combinations, Chloris flagellifera, Ch. nutans, Cynodon ambiguus, C. prostratus, Diplachne divaricatissima, Leptochloa anisopoda, L. exilis, Micrachne fulva, M. obtusiflora, M. patentiflora, M. pilosa, M. simonii, Stapfochloa berroi, S. canterae, S. ciliata, S. elata, S. parvispicula, Tetrapogon brandegeei, T. chlorideus, T. fasciculatus, T. pleistachyus, and T. roxburghiana; a new name, Cynodon simonii; and lectotypify Eleusine flagillifera.

The classification of twenty Cynodonteae genera (Bewsia, Craspedorhachis, Ctenium, Dignathia, Farrago, Gouinia, Gymnopogon, Latipes, Leptocarydion, Leptothrium, Lophacme, Lopholepis, Mosdenia, Perotis, Schenckochloa, Toliara, Trichoneura, Trigonochloa, Triplasis, Vaseyochloa) has been poorly understood. The goals of this study were to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the tribe Cynodonteae, emphasizing these twenty genera using molecular data with increased species sampling. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted on 159 samples, of which 94 species (140 individuals) were in the Cynodonteae, using four plastid (rpl32-trnL spacer, ndhA intron, rps16-trnK spacer, rps16 intron) and nuclear ITS 1&2 (ribo somal internal transcribed spacer regions) sequences to infer evolutionary relationships and revise the classification. Strong support was found for six lineages. Craspedorhachis, Ctenium, Dignathia, Gymnopogon, Trichoneura, and Triplasis appear monophyletic; Leptothrium is paraphyletic with Latipes inermis embedded within; Perotis is paraphyletic with Lopholepis and Toliara embedded within; and Gouinia is monophyletic with the resurrection of Schenckochloa. The molecular results sup port the recognition of six subtribes; five (Cteniinae, Farragininae, Gymnopogoninae, Perotidinae, Trichoneurinae) are newly described. A new genus, Tridentopsis, is described; five new combinations, Leptothrium inerme, Perotis arenacea, Perotis ornithocephala, Tridentopsis eragrostoides, and Tridentopsis mutica are made; and Holboellia ornithocephala is lectotypified.

BackgroundFruits of wild species of the genus Physalis are consumed as food and calyces and leaves are used in traditional medicine. The phenolic composition of the species of this genus have been scarcely studied. To contribute to a better knowledge for the use of all the potential of these wild species of plants, leaves, fruits, and calyces of five wild species of the genus were analyzed for their phenolic composition and antioxidant properties.ResultsImportant tissue- and species-dependent variations were found. Calyces of Physalis subulata showed the highest contents of phenolics (176.58 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g dry tissue), flavonoids (39.63 mg/g dry tissue), and phenolic acids (50.57 mg of quercitrin equivalents/g dry tissue), and its leaves displayed the highest total antioxidant capacity (3.59 mg of ascorbic acid equivalents/mL) and one of the highest reduction powers (0.54 µg of ascorbic acid equivalents/mL). A high performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection analysis revealed a total of 28 phenolic compounds in foliar tissues (mainly kaempferol-3-O-glycosides), 16 in fruits (mainly phenolic acids), and 16 in calyces (mainly kaempferol-3-O-glycosides); the profiles of these compounds in the three types of tissue were species-specific.ConclusionsThe studied species of Physalis are important sources of phenolics with relevant antioxidant activity. The current results indicate that phenolic profiles are valuable specific chemical markers and can be relevant as food tracing and authenticity indicators for plant-based preparations involving species of Physalis.