Systematic studies of Festuca (Poaceae) occurring in China compared with taxa in North America

Abstract

Members of the genus Festuca in China were studied from an illustrated database developed using the DELTA (DEscription Language for Taxonomy) software package. The database includes the place of valid publication of scientific names; the location of type specimens when known; whether we have examined the type specimens; synonymy; information on habitat, distribution, subgeneric classification, and taxonomic notes; and approximately 200 images. Five subgenera and 58 species including aggregates are recognized. Six taxa are not assigned to a subgenus at this time. Species descriptions of 400–500 words were generated in Chinese and English and are available on the Internet at http://cdelta.ibcas.ac.cn and as a CD-ROM in English and Chinese from the first author. INTKEY has been used to produce parallel and diagnostic descriptions of 120–130 words for 58 species of the genus Festuca for the Flora of China treatment in English. INTKEY and other DELTA programs were used to assess taxa throughout the database and in a detailed study of 11 flat-leaved taxa that appear to have their centre of diversity in China. The awnless taxa from China that were considered belong to the genus Festuca, not Poa. All the flat-leaved Festuca studied are sufficiently morphologically unique to be treated as species distinct from any found in North America. Clustering and phylogenetic methodologies were used to assess subgeneric and sectional classifications. A new section is proposed, Parviglumae sect. nov.Key words: Festuca, Subulatae, DELTA, China, systematics.