Leptocereus

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Leptocereus

Leptocereus (A.Berger) Britton & Rose in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 12: 433. 1909 sec. Barrios & al. 2020

Acknowledgments

Revised by Lucas C. Majure

Notes

The phylogenetic relationships in Leptocereus and Dendrocereus were analysed by Barrios & al. (2020) using 5 plastid markers (trnL-F, trnQ-rps16, psbA-trnH, petL-psbE, and rpl16) and morphology. They found Leptocereus to be paraphyletic with a clade of the two Dendrocereus species nested within it and have consequently newly circumscribed Leptocereus to include Dendrocereus. Leptocereus now encompasses 20 species of trees and shrubs, all endemic to the diverse, seasonally dry tropical forest of the Antilles and most diverse on Cuba.A

Taxon standing

Category A. The genus is monophyletic based on a complete or very comprehensive phylogenetic study, and a phylogeny-based taxonomic synopsis was published.B

Bibliography

A. Majure, L.C. 2021: Revisions of Cochemiea, Consolea, Coryphantha, Cylindropuntia, Cumarinia, Grusonia, Kroenleinia, Leptocereus, Melocactus, Micropuntia, Opuntia. – In: Korotkova N. & al., Cactaceae at Caryophyllales.org – a dynamic online species-level taxonomic backbone for the family. – Willdenowia 51: 251-270
B. Barrios, D., González-Torres, L.R., Arias, S. & Majure, L.C. 2020: Phylogeny and taxonomy of the Antillean endemic genus Leptocereus (Cactaceae) inferred from chloroplast markers and morphological evidence. – Plant Systematics and Evolution 306(3): 63