GRUSONIA PULCHELLA CLASSIFICATION AND ITS IMPACTS ON THE GENUS GRUSONIA: MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR EVIDENCE

Abstract

Summary. This report is an investigation into the relationships among members of the genus Grusonia sensu Anderson (2001) with an emphasis on examining the relationship of Grusonia pulchella within Opuntioideae (Cactaceae). G. pulchella is morphologically and geographically distinct from other Grusonia species, and nrITS DNA sequence data suggest that it may represent an independent evolutionary lineage from other grusonioid cacti. With the morphological, geographical, and molecular evidence considered, I propose to resurrect the generic concepts Corynopuntia Knuth (1935), Grusonia Reichenbach ex Schumann (sensu Brit ton and Rose, 1919), and Micropuntia Daston (1946).