New records and key to Poa (Pooideae, Poaceae) from the Flora of Southern Africa region and notes on taxa including a diclinous breeding system in Poa binata

Robert J Soreng; Steven P Sylvester; Mitsy D P V Sylvester; Vincent Ralph Clark

doi:10.3897/phytokeys.165.55948

New records and key to Poa (Pooideae, Poaceae) from the Flora of Southern Africa region and notes on taxa including a diclinous breeding system in Poa binata

PhytoKeys. 2020 Oct 28:165:27-50. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.165.55948. eCollection 2020.

Authors

Robert J Soreng¹, Steven P Sylvester², Mitsy D P V Sylvester², Vincent Ralph Clark³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20560, USA Smithsonian Institution Washington United States of America.
² College of Biology and the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Long Pan Road No. 159, Nanjing, 210037, China Nanjing Forestry University Nanjing China.
³ Afromontane Research Unit and Department of Geography, University of the Free State, Qwaqwa Campus, Phuthaditjhaba, 9866, South Africa University of the Free State Phuthaditjhaba South Africa.

Abstract

Four species of Poa L. are newly reported for sub-Saharan Africa and southern Africa, Poa compressa L., P. iconia Azn., P. infirma Kunth and P. nemoralis L. This is the first report of P. iconia from Africa. Vouchers at PRE of P. bulbosa L. all belong to var. vivipara Koeler, those of P. iconia belong to var. iconia and the one of P. trivialis L. belongs to var. trivialis. Two subspecies are recognised in P. pratensis L.: subsp. irrigata (Lindm.) H.Lindb. and subsp. pratensis. We also designate a lectotype for P. iconia and second-step lectotype for P. leptoclada Hochst. ex A.Rich. and report the first recording of a diclinous breeding system in P. binata Nees. Our account updates the treatment in Identification Guide to Southern African Grasses (Fish et al. 2015) including a key to the taxa and notes on infrageneric taxonomy, DNA subtypes, ecology, chromosome numbers and breeding systems.

Keywords: Afro-alpine grassland; Lesotho; Namibia; South Africa; bluegrass; breeding systems; invasive species.

Robert J. Soreng, Steven P. Sylvester, Mitsy D.P.V. Sylvester, Vincent Ralph Clark.