| Abstract Detail
Systematics/Phytogeography / Taxonomie/ Section Mugaburu, Daniel [1]. New Populations of Cylindropuntia x viridiflora (Cactaceae) in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. Cylindropuntia x viridiflora is a rare cactus with a convoluted taxonomic history. It was originally described as a species endemic to Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Subsequently, it was reclassified as a variety of C. whipplei, and it is currently classified as a hybrid of C. whipplei and C. imbricata. Moreover, up until the work presented here, only two extant populations were documented from the vicinity of the city of Santa Fe. I conducted botanical surveys in key areas of Canyon de Chelly National Monument (Arizona) with the aim of finding additional populations of this taxon. During these surveys I found and described three novel populations of what appeared to be C. x viridiflora. In this presentation, I address the taxonomic relationships between these novel populations, populations of C. x viridiflora documented from Santa Fe County, and sympatric populations of the taxon’s putative parents. To do so, I collected morphometric data on 15 characters from Cylindropuntia individuals in Canyon de Chelly and Santa Fe County, and I conducted multivariate analyses to elucidate the degree of morphologic similarity between them. The results suggest that the novel populations from Canyon de Chelly are more closely affiliated to C. x viridiflora from Santa Fe than they are to either C. whipplei or to C. imbricata. Moreover, these populations of C. x viridiflora have distinct morphologic traits, separate from either of the taxon’s putative parents, which can be used as supportive evidence to suggest its reclassification as a species. Log in to add this item to your schedule
1 - University of New Haven, Biology and Environmental Science, 140 Cottage St #1L, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
Keywords: Cylindropuntia x viridiflora Cactaceae hybridization Canyon de Chelly phylogeny Endangered species.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections Session: 6 Location: Room 1/Woodward Date: Monday, July 28th, 2008 Time: 10:30 AM Number: 6010 Abstract ID:96 |