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Nuclear genome sizes of 343 accessions of wild collected Haworthia and Astroloba (Asphodelaceae, Alooideae), compared with the genome sizes of Chortolirion, Gasteria and 83 Aloe species

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Abstract

For the first time, genome size was determined from a total of 343 wild collected plants from the succulent genera Haworthia and Astroloba (Asphodelaceae: Alooideae). Genome sizes (2C values) turned out to be rather close, especially within genus Haworthia s.s. To improve the accuracy of the results, in the end 2,368 measurements were made. The measured nuclear DNA contents provide a further basis for the separation of Haworthia s.l. into three genera. This resulted in 69 recognized species of the new genera Haworthia, Haworthiopsis and Tulista. The 2C values for the largest genus Haworthia (=Haworthia subgenus Haworthia) with 45 species varies only from 21.7 to 24.7 pg. An exception is some accessions of Haworthia nortieri (var. agnis) with up to 27.2 pg. The four varieties of H. nortieri are here elevated to species level and placed in a new section Nortierae Zonn. The genus Haworthiopsis (=Haworthia subgenus Hexangulares) are clearly divided in two sections, each with 10 species: section Coarctatae (25.2–27.6 pg) and Venosae (28.9–33.6 pg). The highest value so far for Haworthia s.l. has been H. limifolia which is hexaploid with 99.8 pg. The third genus Tulista (=Haworthia subgenus QueryRobustipedunculares) with only four species varies from 35.9 to 37.2 pg. Closely related with Tulista also with respect to genome size is the genus Astroloba (including Poelnitzia) with nine species and from 30.4 to 34.0 pg. The results also show that most, but not all varieties are correctly attributed to the nominate species. A few varieties have been reinstated as species of which two have been renamed in Haworthiopsis. Further details are discussed in the main text. The genome sizes were compared with the genome sizes of all species of Gasteria, Chortolirion and 83 Aloe species. Aloidendron (=Aloe section Aloidendron) with 24.5–37.4 pg, comes out as the most basal in the published cladogram for the Alooidae. It leads to the interesting suggestion that the amount of nuclear DNA of the two species in section Kumara (=Aloe section Kumara) namely K. plicatilis (17.6 pg) and K. haemanthifolia (16.2 pg) and species in Aloiampelos (=Aloe section Macrifoliae; (21.6 pg) have decreased strongly, which is a rare phenomenon.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks M.B. Bayer (South Africa), I. Breuer (Germany) and C. Grootscholten (The Netherlands) for their generous gifts of haworthias and astrolobas.

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  1. NBC Naturalis, Herbarium Section, PoBox 9517, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    B. J. M. Zonneveld

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Correspondence to B. J. M. Zonneveld.

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Dedicated to my friend Ton. Pullen†.

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Zonneveld, B.J.M. Nuclear genome sizes of 343 accessions of wild collected Haworthia and Astroloba (Asphodelaceae, Alooideae), compared with the genome sizes of Chortolirion, Gasteria and 83 Aloe species. Plant Syst Evol 301, 931–953 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-014-1127-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-014-1127-4

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