6533b82dfe1ef96bd12912d0

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Cryptic taxa should have names: Reflections in the glasswort genusSalicornia(Amaranthaceae)

subject

description

Incongruence between morphology and molecules, i.e., genetic differentiation of lineages that are morphologically identical, or morphological variation among accessions sharing identical genotypes, has been increasingly reported and is most problematic in taxa with reduced morphologies. We here review and discuss these issues for plant taxonomy, taking Salicornia, one of the taxonomically most challenging genera of angiosperms, as a model. We argue in favour of a taxonomic system that remains as much 'workable' as possible for traditional morphology-based taxonomy, but avoids merging genetically widely divergent lineages despite their morphological similarity. Our revised classification of Eurasian taxa includes four species, ten subspecies and one nothosubspecies. The molecular and morphological characteristics as well as the geographical distribu- tion of each taxon are described. A key to the Eurasian taxa based on morphology and geographical distribution is presented.