Abstract
Melastomateae are a diverse pantropical tribe of ~823 species in 44 genera. Members of this tribe range from herbs to medium-sized trees and occupy open and closed habitats in the lowlands to cloud forests. Cochleate seeds with tubercles, a crown of hairs or appendages on the ovary apex and the presence of staminal pedoconnectives with bifurcated ventral appendages are the main diagnostic features of this tribe. In this chapter, we provide a historical account of classification, discuss phylogenetic relationships and review important taxonomic evidence (morphology, anatomy, cytology) of Melastomateae. We add brief discussions on problematic taxa and their taxonomic implications, biogeography and our current knowledge of the pollination biology.
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We are grateful F. A. Michelangeli, T. Bochorny and an anonymous reviewer for their comments. We thank all the photographers and the West and Central Africa Program of Missouri Botanical Garden and the African plants—A Photo Guide. www.africanplants.senckenberg.de for permission to use their photographs.
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Veranso-Libalah, M.C., Stone, R.D., Kadereit, G., Guimarães, P.J.F. (2022). Systematics and Taxonomy of the Tribe Melastomateae. In: Goldenberg, R., Michelangeli, F.A., Almeda, F. (eds) Systematics, Evolution, and Ecology of Melastomataceae. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99742-7_21
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