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Karyotype characterisation of Brazilian species of the genus Psychotria L. — subfamily Rubioideae (Rubiaceae)

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Summary

The pantropical genus Psychotria L., probably the largest among angiosperms, occurs in different Brazilian vegetal formations. This work determined the chromosome numbers and karyotypic characteristics of ten species of Brazilian Psychotria. The chromosome numbers ranged from 2n = 22, in five species (P. hoffmannseggiana (Willd. ex Roem. & Schult.) Müll. Arg., P. lupulina Benth., P. marginata Sw., P. tenerior (Cham.) Müll. Arg., and P. trichophora Müll. Arg.), to 2n = 40, in P. mapourioides DC., and 2n = 44 in four other species (P. carthagenensis Jacq., P. gracilenta Müll. Arg., P. longipes Müll. Arg. and P. suterella Müll. Arg.). In addition to these differences, great variations in chromosome lengths and karyotypic formulae were also observed among these species. Chromosome length varied from 5.59 μm to 0.90 μm and no relationship was detected between chromosome numbers and lengths in any species. Chromosomes are principally metacentric, except for P. mapourioides that presents mainly submetacentric chromosomes. Karyotypic asymmetry rate (TF%) ranged from moderate (TF% = 38.83) to highly symmetric (TF% = 50.00). The difference in chromosome numbers of Psychotria carthagenensis (2n = 44) and P. mapourioides (2n = 40) is very important to taxonomists, because these have great difficulty in identifying and differentiating these two species with the sole use of morphological characteristics, since some individuals have intermediate characteristics between both species. Although this study does not allow for a consistent cytotaxonomic analysis, not even to delimit P. subgen. Psychotria and P. subgen. Heteropsychotria, this karyotype analysis of some Brazilian species, along with their morphology, may contribute to a better knowledge of the genus.

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Acknowledgements

Instituto Florestal and Instituto de Botânica, São Paulo, Brazil are thanked for their permission to collect plants in protected cerrado areas. CNPq and FAPESP (03/02812 process) are acknowledeged for financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Departamento de Botânica, Programa de Pós-graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Caixa Postal 6109, 13083-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Andréa Macêdo Corrêa & Eliana Regina Forni-Martins

  2. Instituto Agronômico, Caixa Postal 28, 13012-970, Campinas, SP, Brazil

    Sigrid Luiza Jung-Mendaçolli

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  1. Andréa Macêdo Corrêa
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  2. Sigrid Luiza Jung-Mendaçolli
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  3. Eliana Regina Forni-Martins
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Correspondence to Andréa Macêdo Corrêa.

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Corrêa, A.M., Jung-Mendaçolli, S.L. & Forni-Martins, E.R. Karyotype characterisation of Brazilian species of the genus Psychotria L. — subfamily Rubioideae (Rubiaceae). Kew Bull 65, 45–52 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-010-9176-5

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