Summary
Taxonomy of the genus Echinodorus is partially revisited in the light of current understanding of the phylogenetic relationships of the genus. As a result of new taxonomy, the species status of some previously synonymised taxa are restored, other names are synonymised, and some nomenclatural problems unnoticed by previous authors are resolved. Two new species, Echinodorus reptilis and E. emersus are described. The subgeneric divisions of the genus are not accepted, and all subspecific taxa are either rejected or established as species. As a result, 28 species based on a phylogenetic species concept are now recognised in Echinodorus and an identification key to these species is provided.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alonso Paz, E. (1986). Nota acerca del typus de Echinodorus uruguayensis Arechavaleta (Alismataceae). Comun. Bot. Mus. Hist. Nat. Montevideo 4: 1 – 2.
Alroy, J. (2002). How many species names are valid? Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 99: 3706 – 3711.
Álvarez, I. & Wendel, J. F. (2003). Ribosomal ITS sequences and plant phylogenetic inference. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 29: 417 – 434.
Arechavaleta, J. (1903). Contribución al conocimiento de la flora de la república Uruguay. Varias especies nuevas y otras poco conocidas. Anales Mus. Nac. Montevideo 4: 61 – 86.
Bergsten, J. (2005). A review of long-branch attraction. Cladistics 21: 163 – 193.
Britton, N. L. (1905). Alismaceae. Manual of the Flora of the northern states and Canada, ed. 2. H. Holt & Co., New York.
Brower, A. V. Z., DeSalle, R. & Vogler, A. (1996). Gene trees, species trees, and systematics: a cladistic perspective. Annual Rev. Ecol. Syst. 27: 423 – 450.
Buchenau, F. (1903). Alismataceae. In: A. Engler (ed.), Das Pflanzenreich 15: 23 – 35. W. Engelmann, Leipzig.
Chamisso, L. K. A. & Schlechtendal, D. F. L. (1827). Alismaceae verae. Linnaea 2: 152 – 157.
Chodat, R. & Hassler, E. (1903). Alismataceae. Bull. Herb. Boissier, ser. 2, 3: 1030 – 1032.
Cook, C. (1978). Book reviews, two taxonomic monographs. Aquatic Bot. 4: 377 – 381.
Dayrat, B. (2005). Towards integrative taxonomy. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 85: 407 – 415.
Dominguez Licona, E. (2001). Alismataceae de la Vertiente del Pacifico en Mexico. Tesis para obtener el titulo de Biologo, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.
Doyle, R. D. (2001). Expansion of the exotic aquatic plant Cryptocoryne beckettii (Araceae) in the San Marcos River, Texas. Sida, 19: 1027 – 1038.
Engelmann, G. (1848). Alismaceae. In: A. Gray (ed.), A manual of the botany of the northern United States, from New England to Wisconsin and south to Ohio and Pennsylvania inclusive. Pp. 458 – 461. J. Munroe, Boston.
____ (1890). Alismaceae. In: S. Watson & J. M. Coulter (eds.), Manual of the botany of the northern United States: including the district east of the Mississippi and north of North Carolina and Tennessee ed. 6: 553 – 556. Ivison, Blakeman & Co., New York.
Farris, S. (1979). The information content of the phylogenetic system. Syst. Zool. 28: 483 – 519.
____ (1982). Simplicity and informativeness in systematics and phylogeny. Syst. Zool. 31: 413 – 444.
____, Albert, V. A., Källersjä, M., Lipscomb, D. & Kluge, A. G. (1996). Parsimony jackknifing outperforms neighbor-joining. Cladistics 12: 99 – 124.
Fassett, N. C. (1955). Echinodorus in the American tropics. Rhodora 57: 133 – 156, 174 – 188, 202 – 212.
Fernald, M. L. (1936). Some forms in the Alismaceae. Rhodora 38: 73.
____ (1947). Additions to and subtractions from the flora of Virginia. Rhodora 49: 85 – 115.
Fitzhugh, K. (2006). The ‘requirement of total evidence’ and its role in phylogenetic systematics. Biol. Philos. 21: 309 – 351.
Goloboff, P., Farris, N. & Nixon, K. (2003). T.N.T. tree analysis using new technology. Program and documentation, available from the authors, and http://www.zmuc.dk/public/phylogeny/.
Graebner, P. (1911). Alismatacea uruguayensis. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 45: 433 – 434.
Grisebach, A. (1857). Systematische Untersuchungen über die Vegetation der Karaiben. Abh. Königl. Ges. Wiss. Göttingen 7: 257.
____ (1858). Alismaceae. Bonplandia 6: 11.
____ (1866). Alismaceae. Catalogus plantarum cubensium exhibens collectionem Wrightianam aliasque minores ex insula Cuba missas: 218. Apud Gulielmum Engelmann, Lipsae.
Hauman, L. (1915). Les Alismatacées Argentines. Anales Mus. Nac. Hist. Nat. Buenos Aires 27: 307 – 324.
Haynes, R. R. (1984). Alismataceae. Flora de Veracruz 37: 1 – 20. Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Sobres Recursos Bioticos, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
____ & Holm-Nielsen, L. B. (1986). Notes on Echinodorus (Alismataceae). Brittonia 38: 325 – 332.
____ & ____ (1989). Speciation of Alismatidae in the Neotropics. In: L. B. Holm-Nielsen, I. C. Nielsen & H. Balslev (eds.), Tropical forests. Botanical dynamics, speciation and diversity, pp. 212 – 219. Academic Press, London.
____ & ____ (1994). The Alismataceae. Flora Neotrop. Monogr. 64.
____ & Burkhalter, J. R. (1998). A new species of Echinodorus (Alismataceae) from the United States of America. Castanea 63: 180 – 182.
____ & Hellquist, C. B. (2000). 190. Alismataceae Ventenat. In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee (eds.), Flora of North America 22: 7 – 25. Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford.
Hennig, W. (1966). Phylogenetic systematics. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois.
Holmgren, P. K. & Holmgren, N. H. (1998 onwards continuously updated). Index Herbariorum. New York Botanical Garden. http://sciweb.nybg.org/science2/IndexHerbariorum.asp
Holm-Nielsen, L. B. & Haynes, R. R. (1985). Two new Alismatidae from Ecuador and Peru (Alismataceae and Zannichelliaceae). Brittonia 37: 17 – 21.
____ & ____ (1986). Alismataceae. In: G. Harling & L. Andersson (eds.), Flora of Ecuador 26: 1 – 24. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Gothenburg.
Hooker, W. J. & Arnott, G. A. W. (1838). The Botany of Captain Beechey’s Voyage. Henry G. Bohn, No. 4, York Street, Covent Garden, London.
IUCN (2001). IUCN red list categories and criteria: version 3.1. IUCN species survival comission. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, U.K.
Kasselmann, C. (2000). Echinodórus decúmbens Kasselmann, spec. nov. (Alismatáceae), eine neue Art aus Ostbrasilien. Aqua-Planta 25: 3 – 10.
____ (2001). Echinodorus, die beliebtesten Aquariepflanzen. Ettlingen, Dähne Verlag.
____ (2003). Aquarium Plants. Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, Florida.
Kluge, A. G. (1989). A concern for evidence and a phylogenetic hypothesis of relationships among Epicrates (Boidae, Serpentes). Syst. Zool. 38: 7 – 25.
Kunth, C. S. (1841). Alismaceae L. C. Richard. Enumeratio Plantarum 3: 147 – 162. J. G. Collae, Stuttgart & Tübingen.
Kuntze, O. (1898). Revisio Generum Plantarum 3 pt. 2. Arthur Felix, Leipzig.
Lamarck, J. B. (1788). Encylopédie méthodique. Botanique 2: 504. Chez Panckoucke, Paris.
Lehtonen, S. (2006). Phylogenetics of Echinodorus (Alismataceae) based on morphological data. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 150: 291 – 305.
____ & Myllys, L. (2008). Cladistic analysis of Echinodorus (Alismataceae): simultaneous analysis of molecular and morphological data. Cladistics 24: 218 – 239.
Linnaeus, C. (1753). Species Plantarum. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae.
Lot, A. H. & Novelo, A. R. (1994). Alismataceae. In: G. Davidse, M. S. Sousa, & A. O. Chater (eds.), Flora Mesoamericana 6 Alismataceae a Cyperaceae. Pp. 3 – 8. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Missouri Botanical Garden and The Natural History Museum (London).
Lot, A., Novelo, A., Olvera, M. & Ramírez-García, P. (1999). Catálogo de angiospermas acuáticas de México. Hidrófitas estrictas emergentes y flotantes. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
Macbride, J. F. (1931). Publ. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Chicago, Bot. Ser. II: 21.
Maddison, D. R. & Maddison, W. P. (2005). MacClade 4.08. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, Massachusetts.
Martius, C. (1830). In: J. A. Schultes & J. H. Schultes (eds), Systema Vegetabilium 7. J. G. Cottae, Stuttgart.
Micheli, M. (1881). Alismaceae. In: A. De Candolle & C. De Candolle (eds.), Monographiæ phanerogamarum 3: 29 – 83. Masson, Paris.
Mishler, B. D. & Theriot, E. C. (2000). The Phylogenetic Species Concept (sensu Mishler and Theriot): Monophyly, Apomorphy, and Phylogenetic Species Concepts. In: Q. D. Wheeler & R. Meier (eds.), Species concepts and phylogenetic theory, pp. 44 – 54. Columbia University Press, New York.
Morison, R. (1699). Plantarum historiae universalis oxoniensis. Vol. 3. Oxford.
Mühlberg, H. (1986). Echinodorus barthii spec. nov. Aquarien- Terrar.-Z. 11: 368 – 369.
____ (2004). Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Gattung Echinodorus 2. Echinodorus ovalis. Schlechtendalia 12: 95 – 100.
Nees, C. & Martius, C. (1823). Nov. Actorum Acad. Caes. Leop.-Carol. Nat. Cur. 11: 21.
Nichols, R. (2001). Gene trees and species trees are not the same. Trends Ecol. Evol. 16: 358 – 364.
Nixon, K. C. & Wheeler, Q. D. (1990). An amplification of the phylogenetic species concept. Cladistics 6: 211 – 223.
Nuttall, T. (1835). Collections towards a flora of the Territory of Arkansas. Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc. 5: 159.
Pichon, M. (1946). Sur les Alismatacées et les Butomacées. Notul. Syst. (Paris). 12: 170 – 183.
Rataj, K. (1967). Echinodorus intermedius (Martius) Grisebach und verwandte arten des tropischen Amerika. Mitt. Bot. Staatssaml. München 6: 613 – 619.
____ (1968). Echinodorus paniculatus Micheli and its ally E. lanceolatus Rataj sp. nov. (American Alismataceae). Bull. Jard. Bot. Natl. Belg. 38: 401 – 408.
____ (1969a). Echinodorus grandiflorus (Cham. et Schlecht.) Mich., its geographical distribution and variability. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 4: 319 – 326.
____ (1969b). Echinodorus longipetalus Mich. and other species with reticulate markings in the blades from Central and South America. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 4: 331 – 336.
____ (1969c). Contribution to the knowledge of Echinodorus macrophyllus (Kunth) Mich. and E. scaber Rataj from tropical America. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 4: 435 – 442.
____ (1969d). Echinodorus longiscapus Arech. y su dispersión en la América latina. Darwiniana 15: 183 – 188.
____ (1969e). Echinodorus L. C. Rich. In: M. N. Correa (ed.), Flora Patagonica 2, pp. 29 – 31. Instituto Nacional de Technologia Argropecuaría, Buenos Aires.
____ (1970a). New species of the genus Echinodorus from South Brazil. Folia Geobot. Phytotax. 5: 213 – 216.
____ (1970b). Three new species of the genus Echinodorus imported for the decoration of aquaria. Preslia 42: 264 – 266.
____ (1970c). Las Alismataceae de la República Argentina. Darwiniana 16: 9 – 39.
____ (1971). The taxonomy of Echinodorus palaefolius (Nees et Mart.) Macbr. (Alismataceae) and related species from Mexico, Central and South America. Preslia 43: 10 – 16.
____ (1975). Revizion [sic!] of the genus Echinodorus Rich. Stud. Ceskoslov. Akad. Ved. 2: 1 – 156.
____ (1981). Diagnozy trech novych druhu rodu Echinodorus. Akvárium Terárium 24 (6): 20.
____ (1988). Schwertpflanzen aus Afrika. Aquarama 2: 27 – 30.
____ (1989). Echinodorus multiflorus sp.n. Beschreibung einer neuen Schwertpflanze und Bemerkungen zur Haltung im Aquarium. Aquarama 4: 24 – 25.
____ (1990). Sekce Uruguayensii rodu Echinodorus. Akvárium Terárium 33 (2): 14 – 15.
____ (2002). Éxinodorusy i “flora neotropikov” [in Russian]. Akvarium Moskow 5: 30.
____ (2004). A new revision of the swordplant genus Echinodorus Richard, 1848 (Alismataceae). Aqua (Neu Isenburg), Special Publication No. I.
Ridings, W. H. & Zettler, F. W. (1973). Aphanomyces Blight of Amazon Sword Plants. Phytopathology, 63: 289 – 295.
Sauvalle, F. A. (1870). Flora Cubana. Anales Acad. Ci. Med. Habana 7: 560 – 566.
Schultes, J. A. & Schultes, J. H. (eds) (1830). Systema Vegetabilium 7. J. G. Cottae, Stuttgart.
Seubert, A. (1847). Alismaceae. In: C. F. P. Martius (ed.), Flora Brasiliensis 3: 103 – 112.
____ (1872). Fam. Alismaceae. In: E. Warming (ed.), Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjobenhavn 6 – 9: 112 – 115.
Sites, J. W. Jr. & Marshall, J. C. (2003). Delimiting species: a renaissance issue in systematic biology. Trends Ecol. Evol. 18: 462 – 470.
____ & ____ (2004). Operational criteria for delimiting species. Annual Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst. 35: 199 – 227.
Small, J. K. (1909). Alismaceae. North American Flora 17: 43 – 62. New York Botanical Garden.
Somogyi, J. (2006). Taxonomic, nomenclatural and chorological notes on several taxa of the genus Echinodorus (Alismataceae). Biologia (Bratislava) 61: 381 – 385.
Spegazzini, C. L. (1902). Nova Addenda ad Floram Patagonicam. Anales Mus. Nac. Buenos Aires 7: 174 – 175.
Sprengel, C. (1825). Systema Vegetabilium 2: 163. Librariae Dieterichianae, Göttingen.
Stace, C. A. (2005). Plant taxonomy and biosystematics — does DNA provide all the answers? Taxon 54: 999 – 1007.
Troncoso, N. S. (1964). Alismataceae. In: A. Burkart (ed.), Plantas vasculares nuevas o interesantes de la flora de Entre Rios, I. Darwiniana 13: 625 – 631.
Wahlberg, N., Oliveira, R. & Scott, J. A. (2003). Phylogenetic relationships of Phyciodes butterfly species (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae): complex mtDNA variation and species delimitations. Syst. Entomol. 28: 257 – 273.
Wanke, D. (1999). Ansichten zum “Formenkreis” um Echinodórus cylíndricus RATAJ (1975) und Echinodórus gláúcus RATAJ (1975). Aqua Pl. 24: 105 – 111.
Acknowledgements
The directors and staff of all the mentioned herbaria are acknowledged. I thank Maarten Christenhusz for his generous help with the Latin diagnoses and many nomenclatural problems. The manuscript greatly benefitted from discussions with Hanna Tuomisto. I also thank Daniel Crawford, Jaakko Hyvönen, Pamela Soltis, Daniel Falck and two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on previous drafts. The language was kindly checked by Mirkka Jones. This study was funded by the Jenny and Antti Wihuri, Turku University, Emil Aaltonen, and Oskar Öflund’s Foundations.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lehtonen, S. An integrative approach to species delimitation in Echinodorus (Alismataceae) and the description of two new species. Kew Bull 63, 525–563 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-008-9068-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-008-9068-0