Englerarum (Araceae, Aroideae): a new genus supported by plastid and nuclear phylogenies

• DOI: 10.1007/s00606-013-0914-7
• Publication Date: 2013-09-28T07:56:18Z
• Authors: Lars Nauheimer; Peter C. Boyce
• Keywords: Lineage (genetic); Molecular Phylogenetics

The new monotypic genus Englerarum Nau- heimer & P.C.Boyce, with the only species Englerarum hypnosum (J.T.Yin, Y.H.Wang & Z.F.Xu) Nauheimer & P.C.Boyce, is here described. The new combination of Alocasia hypnosa J.T.Yin, Y.H.Wang & Z.F.Xu, with exclusion of Alocasia (Schott) G.Don and transfer into Englerarum, is based on molecular phylogenies using plastid and nuclear data. The plant occurs on forested limestone outcrops in tropical and subtropical continental Southeast Asia, ranging from Southwest China, through the Lao PDR, and into North and Southeast Thailand. Englerarum represents an isolated lineage in the basal Pistia-clade. Its inclusion into the phylogenetic framework provides new insights into the evolution of this clade, and into the morphological characters used to distinguish the close related genera Alocasia and Colocasia.