Classification of the Leguminosae-<i>Papilionoideae</i>: A Numerical Re-assessment

Abstract

The subdivision of the Leguminosae-Papilionoideae into taxa of lower rank was subject for major discrepancies between traditional classifications while more recent phylogenetic studies provided no decisive answer to this problem. As a contribution towards resolving this situation, 81 morphological characters were recorded comparatively for 226 species and infra-specific taxa belonging to 75 genera representing 21 of the 32 tribes currently recognized in this subfamily. The data matrix was subjected to cluster analysis using the Sørensen distance measure and Ward's clustering method of the PC-ord version-5 package of programs for Windows. This combination was selected from among the 56 combinations available in this package because it produced the taxonomically most feasible arrangement of the genera and species. The 75 genera are divided into two main groups A and B, whose recognition requires little more than the re-alignment of a few genera to resemble tribes 1-18 (Sophoreae to Hedysareae) and tribes 19-32 (Loteae to Genisteae), respectively, in the currently accepted classification. Only six of the 21 tribes represented by two or more genera seem sufficiently robust as the genera representing each of them hold together in only one of the two major groups A and B. Of the 29 genera represented by more than one species each 17, 7 and 5 are taxonomically coherent, nearly coherent and incoherent, respectively. The currently accepted circumscription and inter-relationships among the disrupted tribes and genera are in need of much detailed investigation.

A Multivariate Morphometric Analysis of the Genus Lotus L., 1753 (Fabaceae, Loteae) From Egypt

“…In the present study, the applications of multivariate morphometric techniques resulted in the delimitation of 19 well-separated species of Lotus, and are clearly distinguished from each other. As a result of the cluster, PCoA, and PCA analyses six clear clusters are obtained and they correspond quite well with the species of Lotus accepted in Flora of Egypt (El Hadidy, 2003;Boulos, 2009;El-Gazzar et al, 2013). UPGMA gives insight into the degree of similarity among the OUT's and whether they form groups/clusters.…”

“…In Egypt, the taxonomy of the genus Lotus has always been problematic which has been reflected in the number of its species (Täckholm, 1974;Boulos, 2009). Several studies have demonstrated the use of micromorphological characters to differentiate between some taxa of Fabaceae (Stenglein et al, 2003;Zorić et al, 2009;Saheed and Illoh, 2010;Albert and Sharma, 2013;El-Gazzar et al, 2013).…”

Astratides: Insulin-Modulating, Insecticidal, and Antifungal Cysteine-Rich Peptides from Astragalus membranaceus

“…36 To narrow the range, PA1b-like peptides in the Fabaceae family were separated into tribes, on the basis of a limited range of floral characteristics, with a greater emphasis on petal morphology and stamen arrangement. 40 The aM1 diverged from leginsulin, PA1b and its isoforms from P. sativum, suggesting that there might be a close evolutionary relationship between aM1, PA1b, and leginsulin. Furthermore, in the Fabaceae family, most of the PA1b-like peptides belong to either the tribe of pea (Fabeae) or the tribe of soybean (Phaseoleae).…”

“…It is hypothesized that the occurrence of chimeric structures of cliotides in the Fabaceae is the result of horizontal gene transfer between plant nuclear genomes or convergent evolution from PA1b-like peptides to cyclotides . To narrow the range, PA1b-like peptides in the Fabaceae family were separated into tribes, on the basis of a limited range of floral characteristics, with a greater emphasis on petal morphology and stamen arrangement . The aM1 diverged from leginsulin, PA1b and its isoforms from P. sativum , suggesting that there might be a close evolutionary relationship between aM1, PA1b, and leginsulin.…”

Taxonomic implications of multivariate analyses of Egyptian Ononis L. (Fabaceae) based on morphological traits

“…Phenetic studies of exomorphological characters can generate some accurate estimations of relationships between taxa (El-Hadidy et al, 2018). In a recent phenetic study on family Leguminosae, subfamily Papilionoideae in Egypt, all Egyptian species of Ononis were grouped together in one phenon along with some species of each Medicago, Trifolium and Lathyrus (El-Gazzar et al, 2013).…”