Bot. Rev. (2009) 75:2–21 DOI 10.1007/s12229-008-9019-3 Phylogeny of Cyperaceae Based on DNA Sequence Data: Current Progress and Future Prospects A. Muthama Muasya1,6,7 & David A. Simpson2 & G. Anthony Verboom1 & Paul Goetghebeur3 & Robert F. C. Naczi4 & Mark W. Chase2 & Erik Smets6,55,6 1 Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa 2 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond Surrey TW9 3AB, UK 3 Department of Biology, Ghent University, K.L. Ledegancksraat 35, BE-9000 Ghent, Belgium 4 Department of Agriculture & Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 19901, USA 5 National Herbarium of the Netherlands, PO Box 9514, NL-2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands 6 Laboratory of Plant Systematics, K.U. Leuven, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, BE-3001 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail:
[email protected] 7 Author for correspondence; e-mail:
[email protected] Published online: 5 December 2008 # The Author(s) 2008. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract In the last decade, efforts to reconstruct suprageneric phylogeny of the Cyperaceae have intensified. We present an analysis of 262 taxa representing 93 genera in 15 tribes, sequenced for the plastid rbcL and trnL-F (intron and intergenic spacer). Cyperaceae are monophyletic and resolved into two clades, here recognised as Mapanioideae and Cyperoideae, and the overall topology is similar to results from previous studies. Within Cyperoideae, Trilepideae are sister to rest of taxa whereas Cryptangieae, Bisboeckelerieae and Sclerieae are resolved within Schoeneae. Cladium and Rhynchospora (and Pleurostachys) are resolved into clades sister to the rest of Schoeneae, lending support to the recognition of these taxa in separate tribes.