Haemodoraceae - phylogenetics, biology and conservation
Anigozanthos manglesii D Don subsp. quadrans Hopper (Haemodoraceae), Kalbarri National Park in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region. Photo: © S.D. Hopper
The Haemodoraceae are a small family of commelinid monocots comprising 112 species in 15 genera. The family is commonly referred to as the bloodroot or bloodwort family due to the reddish pigmentation in the underground parts, or as the kangaroo paw family, after the Australian genera Anigozanthos and Macropidia, whose flower shape resembles that of kangaroo paws. They are distributed mainly on southern continents and occur in Australia, New Guinea, South Africa, northern South America and Cuba, with one genus in North America. The family is divided into two subfamilies; the Conostylidoideae and the Haemodoroideae, the former being endemic to Southwestern Australia. This region is a global biodiversity hotspot and contains 80 of the 112 species of Haemodoraceae.
The family was first named by Robert Brown in 1810, who included a total of 12 Australian species then known in the genera Haemodorum, Conostylis, Anigozanthos and Phlebocarya, as well as the South African genera Dilatris, Lanaria and Wachendorfia, and the American genus Heritiera (now Lachnanthes). The neotropical genus Xiphidium was also mentioned as a possible family member.
Today, on the basis of DNA and other modern data sources, all these genera remain in the Haemodoraceae, with the exception of Lanaria which is placed in Lanaricaeae near Hypoxidaceae. An additional 8 genera described since 1810 have been added to the Haemodoraceae – Tribonanthes, Blancoa, Macropidia, Barberetta, Schiekia, Pyrrorhiza and Paradilatris ms. Although Brown compared Haemodoraceae with Iridaceae, he also mentioned Philydrum in the protologue. Recent research has affirmed that Philydraceae are likely to be sister to Haemodoraceae, although Ponterderiaceae, Commelinaceae and Hanguanaceae are also closely related. While DNA sequence data strongly support the hypothesized monophyly of Haemodoraceae, there are no synapomorphies identified for the family.
Further molecular work carried out as part of this project aims to clarify evolutionary relationships within the family and produce a full phylogeny based on a number of gene regions. We are also addressing questions of biogeography, reproductive biology and conservation and on a larger scale, processes of speciation and extinction and their interaction with landscape processes. The project highlights the importance of southern continents in the exploration of global biodiversity and reinforces the value of detailed biological study as an effective basis for conservation.
Project Team
Directorate
Stephen Hopper, Rhian Smith
Jodrell
Mark Chase, Mike Fay, Vincent Savolainen
Project Partners and Collaborators
Australia
The University of Western AustraliaKings Park and Botanic Garden