Phylogenetics and Taxonomy of Eriocaulaceae

Eriocaulaceae is a globally distributed family of small, herbaceous monocots predominantly found in wetland and aquatic habitats across tropical and subtropical regions. The family comprises some 1,200 species placed in 10–15 genera, with centres of diversity in Brazil, Africa and tropical Asia. Traditional classifications have relied heavily on floral morphology—particularly perianth merism, stamen number and arrangement of bracts—yet such characters often show homoplasy. In recent decades, molecular data from plastid and nuclear markers have been applied to reconstruct the backbone phylogeny, revealing several well supported lineages that do not fully coincide with classic morphology-based infrageneric groupings. For example, DNA sequence analyses have resolved Eriocaulon as sister to Mesanthemum and have highlighted polyphyly in large genera such as Paepalanthus. Integrative approaches combining scanning electron microscopy of floral development, detailed anatomical studies and molecular phylogenies have begun to clarify evolutionary changes in merism (trimery vs dimery), petal fusion and stamen reduction. These advances underpin emerging proposals for a revised classification that recognises monophyletic genera and series, while emphasising biogeographic patterns such as multiple independent radiations in South American campos rupestres and African wetlands. Such a framework has practical implications for conservation prioritisation, taxonomy of commercially harvested “sempre-vivas” and understanding the evolution of reproductive traits linked to pollination and habitat specialization.

Research from Nature Portfolio

No recent Nature Portfolio content available.

Phylogenetics and Taxonomy of Eriocaulaceae publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in phylogenetics and taxonomy of eriocaulaceae across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships among species or higher taxa using morphological or molecular data.

Infrageneric classification: The subdivision of a genus into sections, series or subgenera to reflect phylogenetic relationships.

Monophyly: A group of organisms that comprises an ancestor and all its descendants, forming a single evolutionary lineage.

Plastic and nuclear markers: Regions of the plastid (chloroplast) genome or nuclear genome used as molecular characters for reconstructing phylogenies.

Floral merism: The number of parts (e.g., sepals, petals) in each floral whorl, such as trimery (three parts) or dimery (two parts).

References

1. First molecular phylogenetic insights into the evolution of Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae, Poales). Journal of Plant Research (2019).
2. A revision of the African genus Mesanthemum (Eriocaulaceae). Kew Bulletin (2019).
3. An escape from the Espinhaço Range: a new species of Paepalanthus subg. Xeractis (Eriocaulaceae) from the campos rupestres of Serra do Padre Ângelo, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Plant Ecology and Evolution (2021).