title: A molecular phylogeny and classification of Leptochloa (Poaceae: Chloridoideae: Chlorideae) sensu lato and related genera.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Leptochloa (including Diplachne) sensu lato (s.l.) comprises a diverse assemblage of C(4) (NAD-ME and PCK) grasses with approx. 32 annual or perennial species. Evolutionary relationships and a modern classification of Leptochloa spp. based on the study of molecular characters have only been superficially investigated in four species. The goals of this study were to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Leptochloa s.l. with molecular data and broad taxon sampling.
  
  
  METHODS
  A phylogenetic analysis was conducted of 130 species (mostly Chloridoideae), of which 22 are placed in Leptochloa, using five plastid (rpL32-trn-L, ndhA intron, rps16 intron, rps16-trnK and ccsA) and the nuclear ITS 1 and 2 (ribosomal internal transcribed spacer regions) to infer evolutionary relationships and revise the classification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Leptochloa s.l. is polyphyletic and strong support was found for five lineages. Embedded within the Leptochloa sensu stricto (s.s.) clade are two Trichloris spp. and embedded in Dinebra are Drake-brockmania and 19 Leptochloa spp.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The molecular results support the dissolution of Leptochloa s.l. into the following five genera: Dinebra with 23 species, Diplachne with two species, Disakisperma with three species, Leptochloa s.s. with five species and a new genus, Trigonochloa, with two species.
authors.affiliation: Smithsonian Institution, Department of Botany MRC-166, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA. peterson@si.edu
authors.forename: Paul M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Konstantin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Romaschenko
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D007438:Introns; D010802:Phylogeny; D018087:Plastids; D006109:Poaceae / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers