Willdenowia 36
Willdenowia – Annals of the Botanic Garden and
Botanical Museum Berlin-Dahlem
ISSN 0511-9618
© 2006 BGBM Berlin-Dahlem.
Kadereit, G., Hohmann, S. & Kadereit, J. W.:
A synopsis of Chenopodiaceae subfam. Betoideae
and notes on the taxonomy of Beta.
Willdenowia 36
(Special Issue): 9-19.
doi:10.3372/wi.36.36101
Abstract
A synopsis of the phylogeny and systematics of subfamily Betoideae
of the Chenopodiaceae is provided and a modified subfamilial
classification proposed. Betoideae contain five or six genera, i.e.
Beta, Patellifolia, Aphanisma, Oreobliton and Hablitzia.
The inclusion of Acroglochin in Betoideae is not
clearly resolved by molecular evidence. The five genera (excl. Acroglochin)
fall into two clades. These are Beteae with Beta
only, and Hablitzieae with the remaining four genera. Of
these four genera, Patellifolia formerly has been regarded
as a section of Beta (B. sect. Procumbentes). The
closer relationship of Patellifolia to Hablitzieae
rather than to Beta is supported not only by molecular but
also by flower morphological characters. Molecular evidence, in part
newly generated, suggests that Beta can be divided into two
well-supported groups. These are B. sect. Corollinae
and B. sect. Beta. The often recognized unispecific
B. sect. Nanae should be included in B.
sect. Corollinae. In B. sect. Beta, probably
only two species, B. macrocarpa and B. vulgaris,
should be recognized.
Key words:
angiosperms, beets, Patellifolia, phylogenetic systematics, ITS, morphology.
