Soulll AfncfJn JO(lfllai Of Bo/any 200 1 67 16 1- 168 Copy"gilf@ NiSCPlyLid Prmfcd in SOllth Afflr.a - All fights reserv(1{j souTHAi'ilrcAN JOURNAL or BOTANY ISSN 02~6299 Reconsideration of the status of Lavrania, LarryJeachia and Notechidnopsis (Asclepiadoideae-Ceropegieae) U Meve' and S Liede Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, 0-95440 Bayreuth, Germany • Corresponding author, e-mail:
[email protected] Received 11 January 2000, accepted in revised form 11 May 2000 Based on morphological, karyological and DNA intermediate position of Notechidnopsis between the sequence data the circumscription of Lavrania Plowes, more distantly related Larryleachia and Lavrania. Larryleachia Plowes and Notechidnopsis Lavranos and Keeping the three genera distinct is the best reflection Bleck is reconsidered. The data presented point to an of the complex relationships within this group. Introduction In Ihe over 30 genera of stem-succulent stapeliads (1992b) repeated it by publishing Leachiella Plowes as sub (Ceropegieae) presently recognised (Albers and Meve, in stitute name fo r Leachia Plowes. Again, th is generic name is press a), the generic treatment of the highly succulent illegitimate, since Leachiella Kugrens is an older name for a 'smooth-stemmed ' Trichocaulon species was often subject red alga. Th iS unhappy situation was resolved by Bruyns to controversial systematic co nsiderations (Plowes 1996, (1993) with th e transfer of the smooth-stemmed Bruyns 1993, 1999a). Trichocaulon taxa to th e hitherto monotypic Lavrania NE Brown (1878) Introduced the genus Trichocaulon NE Plowes. However, to reflect the phylogenetic distance of the Br. to accommodate two small-flowered (spiny) species of two speCies gro ups, Bruyns (1993) created two different Hoodia Sweet ex Decne.