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Literature review and numerical taxonomy ofEragrostis tef (T’ef)

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Abstract

Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter is a native Ethiopian cereal. It was recently classified into 35 cultivars which are united into 6 complexes based on inflorescence morphology, grain color, time to maturity and uses. These complexes do not show ecogeographic unity, and they cross ethnological boundaries. Thirty-nine collections of t’ef were studied in biosystematic detail, and compared withE. aethiopica Chiov. andE. pilosa (L.) Beauv., two putative ancestors of the cereal. The latter species is morphologically variable but closely allied to E. tef. Three morphologically distinct complexes are recognized within the cereal. The ethnological significance of these complexes of t’ef is not clear.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crop Evolution Laboratory, Department of Botany and of Agronomy, University of Illinois, Urbana

    J. R. Harlan

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  1. S. H. Costanza
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  2. J. M. J. Dewet
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  3. J. R. Harlan
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Special thanks are due Dr. A. M. Rhodes for advice and aid with computer packages, and Dr. D. A. Seigler for equipment and space for flavonoid analysis.

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Costanza, S.H., Dewet, J.M.J. & Harlan, J.R. Literature review and numerical taxonomy ofEragrostis tef (T’ef). Econ Bot 33, 413–424 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858337

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858337

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