J Syst Evol ›› 2014, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (6): 712-715.DOI: 10.1111/jse.12116

• Reviews & Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

What became of Hystrix?

1,2Hai-Qin ZHANG 3Rui-Wu YANG 1Cai-Rong YANG 1Yan HUANG 1,2Xing FAN 1,2Li-Na SHA 1,2Hou-Yang KANG 1,2Yi WANG 1,2Yong-Hong ZHOU*   

  1. 1(Triticeae Research Institute, Sichuan Agricultural University, Wenjiang 611130, Sichuan, China)
    2(Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Resources and Improvement, Ministry of Education, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, Sichuan, China)
    3(Department of Biology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, Sichuan, China)
  • Received:2014-04-01 Published:2014-11-13

Abstract: Hystrix Moench was a perennial genus of the Triticeae. Its members differed from those of other genera in the tribe in lacking glumes. The type species is H. patulaMoench, a North American taxon. When it became accepted that H. patula should be included in Elymus, Hystrix could not be used as a generic name. The problem became how to treat the other species that had been included in Hystrix. Hystrix patula, like many other species of Elymus, has the StH genomic composition but H. coreana (Honda) Ohwi, H. californica (Bol.) Kuntze, H. duthiei (Stapf) Bor ssp. duthiei, and H. duthiei ssp. longearistata have the NsXm genomic composition that is associated with Leymus. Using genomic in situ hybridization analysis, we showed that H. komarovii (Roshev.) Ohwi has an NsEe genomic composition, a combination not known from any other species. Hystrix sibirica (Trautv.) Kuntze and H. duthiei ssp. japonica are included in Leymus on morphological grounds. The status of H. kunlunensis K. S. Hao is not clear. In this paper, we summarize our results and those of others concerning what is now known and the problems that remain concerning the species that used to be included in Hystrix.

Key words: Elymus, GISH, Leymus, morphology, Poaceae, taxonomy.