Chromosome numbers in Brazilian species of Crotalaria (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) and their taxonomic significance

Abstract

Chromosome numbers were counted for 23 species of Crotalaria native to Brazil. Among these data there were new counts for 15 taxa, and some confirmed previous reports or represented numbers that were different from those cited previously. The chromosome numbers most frequently found were 2 n = 16 and 2 n = 32. Only C. incana L. had 2 n = 14 and C. tweediana Benth. had 2 n = 54. The counts 2 n = 32 and 54 were found in species of section Calycinae and 2 n = 16 and 14 in species of section Chrysocalycinae . The data revealed the importance of chromosomal parameters in the characterization of sections Calycinae and Chrysocalycinae in Brazil. We discuss the systematic significance and evolutionary aspects for the genus, comparing the results with the two sections that are native in Brazil.

Abnormal meiotic behavior in three species of Crotalaria

“…The best interval of fl ower bud size to obtain meiocytes was 6.5 to 7.0 mm for C. zanzibarica; 4.5 to 5.0 mm for C. micans and 5.5 to 6.0 mm for C. spectabilis. All three species showed n = 8 chromosomes (Figure 1), confi rming previous reports for C. zanzibarica (Atchinson, 1950;Yeh et al, 1986), C. micans (Almada et al, 2006;Flores et al, 2006) and C. spectabilis (Mondin, 2003;Almada et al, 2006).…”

“…In Brazil, there are 31 native and 11 introduced species of Crotalaria (Flores et al, 2006). Some are used in agriculture (nitrogen fi xation in crop rotating systems and biological control of nematodes); in the paper and fi ber industry, in landscaping (Polhill, 1982;Mendonça et al, 1999) and in phytoremediation (Pereira et al, 2002).…”

“…Information on chromosome number, quantitative karyotype parameters, chromosome banding patterns and rRNA gene mapping have been used for phylogenetic and chromosome evolution inferences in Crotalaria (Oliveira & Aguiar-Perecin, 1999;Mondin, 2003;Tapia-Pastrana et al, 2005;Almada et al, 2006;Flores et al, 2006;Mondin et al, 2007).…”

A global infrageneric classification system for the genus Crotalaria (Leguminosae) based on molecular and morphological evidence

“…It has its primary centre of species diversity in tropical and subtropical Africa and Madagascar (Polhill, 1982;Van Wyk, 2005;Flores & al., 2006), where some 543 species occur, and secondary radiations in temperate Asia, tropical Asia and Australasia with 159 species, South America (especially Brazil) with 64 species and North America (Mexico and the southern parts of the United States of America) with 34 species (Le Roux & al., subm. ;Flores & al., 2006;Pandey & al., 2010). These figures include the total number of species in each individual region, i.e., species that occur in more than one region are included in each region.…”

Números cromossômicos em espécies de Acosmium Schott e Leptolobium Vogel (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae)

“…Em Papilionoideae, recentemente destacam-se trabalhos envolvendo contagens e cariótipos de cromossomos para subsidiar a sistemática em nível genérico ou infragenérico, como os de Maciel & Schifino-Wittmann (2002), Mendonça Filho et al (2002, Sede et al (2003), Flores et al (2006) e Conterato et al (2006;.…”