Genera of New World Eragrostideae ('Poaceae: Chloridoideae')

摘要

The Eragrostideae approximately 80 genera and 1000 species, or about one-tenth ofall grasses. These taxa are primarily distributed in the subtropical to tropical regions in arid climates, with centers of distribution in the savannahs of southern Africa and north central Mexico. In the New World, or Western Hemisphere, this study recognizes 38 genera and about 427 species, with the highest concentration in north central Mexico and the southwestern United States. Within the Eragrostideae there is considerable variation in morphology, anatomy, and cytology. It is difficult, if not impossbile, to select diagnostic characteristics that exclusively delimit the Eragrostideae from other tribes in the Chlorodiodeae.