Gomphrenoideae

Gomphrenoideae
Gomphrena globosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Core eudicots
Order:	Caryophyllales
Family:	Amaranthaceae
Subfamily:	Gomphrenoideae Schinz
Genera
about 13 genera, see text

The Gomphrenoideae is a subfamily of the Amaranthaceae.

The stamens have anthers with only one lobe (locule) and two pollen sacs. Many species show C₄-photosynthesis pathway.^[1]

The center of diversity lies in Central America, Mexico and the dry forests and thorn bush savannas of South America.^[2]

Systematics

The subfamily Gomphrenoideae was first published in 1893 by Hans Schinz (in: Engler und Prantl (Eds.): Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien vol. 3, 1a, p. 97).

According to phylogenetic research by Sanchez Del-Pino (2009), the subfamily Gomphrenoideae Schinz is regarded as a monophyletic taxon with 19 genera and about 300-400 species. The traditional classification with two tribes (Gomphreneae and Pseudoplantageae) does not reflect the phylogenetic relationship in this group. Three clades can be recognized.:^[1]

• Cladus Iresinoids (sister clade of the two other clades):
  • Irenella Suess., with only one species:
    • Irenella chrysotricha Suess., in rain forests of Ecuador. Phylogenetically, it falls within Iresine.
  • Iresine P.Browne (Syn.: Dicraurus Hook. f.): with about 45 species in North and South America.
  • Woehleria Griseb.: with only one species
    • Woehleria serpyllifolia Griseb., on mountain coasts of Cuba. Phylogenetically, it falls within Iresine.
• Cladus Alternantheroids:
  • Alternanthera Forssk. (Syn.: Brandesia Mart.): with about 100-200 species, mainly in America, also in Africa and Australia.
  • Pedersenia Holub: with about 10 species in tropical America.
  • Tidestromia Standl.: with about 6 species in deserts of southern North America.
• Cladus Gomphrenoids:
  • Blutaparon Raf. (Syn.: Philoxerus R.Br.): with about 5 species at shores of North and Middle America, West Africa, Micronesia and Japan, for example:
    • Blutaparon rigidum
  • Froelichia Moench: with about 12 species in America.
  • Froelichiella R.E.Fr., with only one species:
    • Froelichiella grisea R.E.Fr. in Brasília.
  • Gomphrena L. (Syn.: Bragantia Vand.): with about 90 species in America and about 30 species in Australia. This genus is polyphyletic, so taxonomical changes have to be expected.^[1]
    • Gomphrena pulchella
    • Gomphrena decumbens
    • Gomphrena globosa
  • Gossypianthus Hook.: with 2 species in southern North America.
  • Guilleminea Kunth (Syn.: Brayulinea Small)
  • Hebanthe Mart.: with about 7 species in tropical America.
  • Hebanthodes Pedersen, with only one species:
    • Hebanthodes peruviana Pedersen in Peru.
  • Lithophila Sw., with 2 species on Galapagos and the Caribic
  • Pfaffia Mart.: with about 35 species in tropical America.
  • Pseudogomphrena R.E.Fr.,with only one species:
    • Pseudogomphrena scandens R.E.Fr. in Brasília.
  • Pseudoplantago Suess.: with one species in Venezuela and one in Argentina.
  • Quaternella Pedersen: with 3 species in Brasília.
  • Xerosiphon Turcz.: with about 2 species in Brasília.

Photographs

• 

  Iresinoids:
  Iresine lindenii

• 

  Alternantheroids: Alternanthera caracasana

• 

  Alternantheroids:
  Tidestromia lanuginosa

• 

  Gomphrenoids: Gomphrena serrata

• 

  Gomphrenoids:
  Pfaffia glomerata

References

1. Ivonne Sánchez del-Pino, Thomas Borsch & Timothy J. Motley (2009): trnL-F and rpl16 Sequence Data and Dense Taxon Sampling Reveal Monophyly of Unilocular Anthered Gomphrenoideae (Amaranthaceae) and an Improved Picture of Their Internal Relationships, In: Systematic Botany, Volume 34 (1), p. 57-67. doi:10.1600/036364409787602401
2. Kai Müller & Thomas Borsch (2005): Phylogenetics of Amaranthaceae using matK/trnK sequence data – evidence from parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian approaches, In: Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden, 92, p. 66-102.