Description
This volume is a monograph of the genus Diplusodon (Lythraceae), written by the world authority on this plant group. Diplusodon is a monophyletic genus of shrubs and subshrubs, with showy, 6-merous, actinomorphic flowers, and floral tubes on which the sepals alternate with conspicuous epicalyx segments. The capsular fruit contains winged seeds and, uniquely for the family, is divided by a bipartite placenta with two semi-lunate septa. Diplusodon is the second largest genus in the Lythraceae and occurs mostly in the Cerrado Biome, the floristically diverse savannah that covers more than two million km2 of the Central Brazilian Plateau, extending west into Bolivia, south to Paraguay and east to the Caatinga. A total of 104 species and eight varieties are recognized in the genus, for which 46 lectotypes, one neotype, one new status and one new combination are designated, nine new species are described, and 15 taxa are placed in synonymy. New information on floral and vegetative morphology, pollen, cytology, chemistry, floral biology, and habitat are provided for the genus. In addition, keys to the species are accompanied by descriptions, illustrations, distribution maps, and assignment of conservation status. Taciana Barbosa Cavalcanti Embrapa Recursos Genticos e Biotecnologia (Cenargen) Laboratrio de Sistemtica Vegetal Brasilia, Brazil Abstract Introduction Historical Survey Morphology Habit and Life Forms Indumentum Trichomes, and Colleters Leaves Leaf Anatomy Inflorescences Typology Bracts, Prophylls, and Peduncles Flowers Fruit, Seed, Dispersal and Germination Pollen Floral/Reproductive Biology and Phenology Chromosomes Chemistry Phylogeny and Evolution Geographic Distribution and Ecology Conservation Systematic Treatment Key Insufficiently Known Species Excluded Names Acknowledgements Literature Cited Numerical List of Taxa List of Exsiccatae Index of Scientific Names
