Details - A phylogenetic analysis of the Orchidaceae

A phylogenetic analysis of the Orchidaceae

Title

A phylogenetic analysis of the Orchidaceae

Related Titles

Series: Smithsonian contributions to botany, no. 61

By

Burns-Balogh, Pamela

Funk, V. A. (Vicki Ann), 1947-

Type

Book

Material

Published material

Publication info

City of Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1986

Notes

Distributed to depository libraries in microfiche.

The Orchidaceae is the largest flowering plant family, with approximately 25,000 species. Sixty-eight apomorphies grouped into forty-two transformation series were used to construct a cladogram for the twenty-six tribes of the family. A detailed discussion of the characters is followed by an in-depth analysis of the cladogram. The cladogram was used to develop a classification and a natural key to the tribes. Seven subfamilies (Neuwiedioideae, Apostasioideae, Cypripedioideae, Spiranthoideae, Neottioideae, Orchidoideae, and Epidendroideae) are divided into 20 tribes, the majority of which are defined by synapomorphies. Of the intrasubfamily classifications, that of the Epidendroideae is the most tenuous. The phylogeny and classification presented here are hypotheses of relationship and are therefore subject to change as more information becomes available.