Two new records and one confirmation of the genus Poa L. (Poaceae) for the Flora of Turkey

The ongoing revision of the genus Poa in Turkey has resulted in two new Poa records for the Flora of Turkey as Poa pratensis subsp. irrigata (Lindm.) H. Lindb. and Poa eigii Feinbrun. In addition, the presence of Poa palustris L. is confirmed. A brief discussion and an illustration for each taxon are provided.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [212T113]; TUBITAK-BIDEBTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)Our gratitude is extended to Lynn Gillespie for joint fieldwork in Turkey in 2011; to Tugrul Koruklu, Ayse Mine Gencler Ozkan, Osman Tugay, Neriman Ozhatay, and Emine Akalin for access to the ANK, AEF, KNYA, and ISTE herbaria in 2014; to TUBITAK, for grant no. 212T113; and to TUBITAK-BIDEB for the support that allowed R.J. Soreng's visit to Namik Kemal University possible

Taxonomy of Poa jubata and a new section of the genus (Poaceae)

Poa jubata A. Kern. is an ephemeral, southeastern European species of which little is known. A molecular phylogenetic analysis of Poa L., including all previously identified major lineages, shows this species to be isolated, with a genotype here designated as J (plastid) J (nrDNA). It is assigned to the monotypic P. sect. Jubatae sect. nov. The section is differentiated from other Poa sections in having 5-nerved upper glumes, very narrow palea flanges, an annual habit, and erect solitary culms. Poa jubata occurs along coastal regions of the Balkans and is rather rare. Two new collections were made in 2015 in Thrace, Turkey, in vernal pool habitats with clay soils, thus expanding its known habitat. The species is described in detail and illustrated, and its relationships are discussed.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [212T113]; TUBITAK-BIDEBTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK); Canadian Museum of NatureWe would like to thank Paul Peterson, two anonymous reviewers, and the subject editor for careful revisions made to the text and for constructive criticism. We are also grateful to TUBITAK for the support of Grant No. 212T113 and to TUBITAK-BIDEB for the support that made RJS's visit possible to Namik Kemal University. We thank the Canadian Museum of Nature for financial support for LJG and DNA facilities, and Roger Bull, Neda Amiri, and Michael Paradis for sequencing DNAs; the Smithsonian Institution for logistical support of RJS; Musa Dogan for discussion and encouragement; the curators of the ISTE and ANK herbaria for allowing us access to their Poa collections; and Ogun Demir, Ekrem Kurt, and Mustafa Kaya for assistance with collecting

Phylogeny and taxonomic synopsis of Poa subgenus Pseudopoa (including Eremopoa and Lindbergella) (Poaceae, Poeae, Poinae)

Eremopoa is a small genus of annual grasses distributed from Egypt to western China. Phylogenetic analyses of plastid and nuclear ribosomal DNA show that Eremopoa species, together with the monotypic genus Lindbergella and a single species of Poa (P. speluncarum), are nested within the genus Poa, in a clade that we accept as Poa subg. Pseudopoa. Here we accept seven species, four subspecies and four varieties in Poa subg. Pseudopoa. Five new combinations are made: Poa attalica, P. diaphora var. alpina, P. diaphora var. songarica, P. nephelochloides and P. persica subsp. multiradiata; P. millii is proposed as a replacement name for E. capillaris; and Poa sections Lindbergella and Speluncarae are proposed. We provide a diagnosis for Poa subg. Pseudopoa, synonymy for and a key to the taxa. Eight lectotypes are designated: Eragrostis barbeyi Post, Eremopoa nephelochloides Roshev., Glyceria taurica Steud., Nephelochloa tripolitana Boiss. & Blanche, Poa cilicensis Hance, Poa paradoxa Kar. & Kir., Poa persica var. alpina Boiss and Poa persica subsp. cypria Sam. Eremopoa medica is re-identified as a species of Puccinellia. © Lynn J. Gillespie et al.Canadian Museum of Nature; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, NSERCWe thank the curators and staff at the following herbaria for loans and/or specimen images: E, G, BEI, BM, B, K, LE, P, US, ANK, ISTE, NKU and W. Ralf Hand kindly sent us leaf material and a duplicate of Lindbergella sintenisii from Cyprus; Mostafa Assadi and Mohammad Amini-Rad kindly sent leaf material from Iran from the TARI and IRAN herbaria. Nada Sinno Saoud kindly provided an image of Eragrostis barbeyi from the Post herbarium (BEI). We thank Roger Bull for assistance with the molecular research and Paul Peterson, Stephen Wagstaff and Clifford Morden for their helpful reviews. Part of the molecular study was performed by NA as part of her Masters thesis at the University of Ottawa and Canadian Museum of Nature. LJG acknowledges the support of the Canadian Museum of Nature and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

Alopecurus goekyigitiana (Poaceae, subtribe Alopecurinae sensu stricto), a new species from Turkey based on morphological and molecular investigation

Alopecurus goekyigitiana, a new species from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey, is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data support its relationship within Alopecurus sect. Colobachne with A. gerardi (plastid), or with the complex of A. davisii, A. lanatus, and A. vaginatus (nuclear ribosomal spacers). The new species differs from the above taxa by various combinations of characters, in having slender rhizomes and a mat-forming habit, indumentum of lower sheaths sparsely sericeous, glabrescent, culm leaf blades absent or vestigial, basal blades filiform, a dorsal awn on the lemma that is vestigial or up to 2 mm long, erect (not geniculate), and the palea absent. Notes on its ecology and conservation status are presented. A distribution map for the new species and its closest allies in Turkey is provided.TUBITAKTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [212T113]; TUBITAK-BIDEBTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK); Canadian Museum of NatureWe would like to thank PM Peterson and anonymous reviewers and the subject editor for their careful revisions made in the text and constructive criticism. We are also grateful to Tugrul Koruklu for access to the ANK university herbarium in 2016. We thank TUBITAK for support of Grant No. 212T113 and TUBITAK-BIDEB for support that made RJS's visit possible to Namik Kemal University; the Canadian Museum of Nature for financial support for LJG and DNA facilities and Roger Bull and Michael Paradis for DNA lab work; the Smithsonian Institution for logistical support of RJS; Musa Dogan for discussion and encouragement; and Ersin Karabacak for the illustrations

Biogeography, timing, and life-history traits in the PPAM clade: Coleanthinae (syn. Puccinelliinae), Poinae, Alopecurinae superclade, Miliinae, and Avenulinae and Phleinae (Poaceae, Pooideae, Poeae)

We conducted a biogeographic analysis of the PPAM clade of Poeae Plastid DNA Group 2, which includes 12 subtribes of C-3 grasses. One hundred and eighty-four species sampled represent 42 of 43 accepted genera and taxonomic diversity in large genera. We analyzed plastid sequences of matK, trnC-rpoB, and trnT-trnL-trnF using BEAST to produce a dated tree and MrBayes to produce a Bayesian tree, on which we ran Bayesian-Binary-Markov-Chain analyses on a worldwide biogeographic data set of 12 areas. PPAM split in southwestern Asia into subtribe Coleanthinae and PAM clades in the Early Miocene. PAM diversified rapidly in the Middle Miocene in southwestern Asia into four monogeneric lineages, Avenulinae, Phleinae, Miliinae, Poinae, and the Alopecurinae superclade (seven subtribes with 27 genera). In the Late Miocene, Pliocene, and mostly Pleistocene, the latter four lineages diversified and dispersed across Eurasia and established in North America. Dispersals to the southern hemisphere occurred in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Annuals occur in 15 Mediterranean and southwestern Asia genera, but in few genera in other regions. Beyond phylogenetically isolated annual species dating to the Miocene, all other annuals evolved in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Cold tolerance is high among perennial species, many occurring in the alpine, nine genera ranging into the Arctic. We suggest that alpine and subalpine habitats were ancestral. High tolerance of saline and alkaline conditions arose between the Pliocene and Pleistocene in Coleanthinae, Alopecurinae, Poinae, Hookerochloinae, Beckmanniinae, and Arctopoa. Combinations are proposed for Cornucopiae alopecuroides in Alopecurus and for Paracolpodium colchicum in Hyalopodium. A nothogenus x Catanellia is proposed for Catabrosa x Puccinellia

A new species of Bellardiochloa, B. doganiana (Poaceae), from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey

Bellardiochloa doganiana, a new species from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey, is described and illustrated. It differs from the other four species of the genus in its basal tuft of short, stiff, terete, arched, pungent-tipped basal leaf-blades, conical panicles with numerous panicle branches and mostly 1 or 2 spikelets per branch, and pedicels as long as or longer than the spikelets.TUBITAK-KBAGTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [212T113]; TUBITAK-BIDEBTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)Our gratitude is extended to Musa Dogan for his contributions to botanical taxonomy of Turkey and support for the Poa project; To Yildirim Akman for his introduction of R.J. Soreng to the flora of central Turkey and providing assistance in field work in conjunction with Osman Ketenoglu, Latif Kurt,Kerim Guney, and Umit Bingol for guidance and assistance in field work to R.J. Soreng in 1991 and 1993. To Lynn Gillespie for joint field work in Turkey in 2011. To Tugrul Koruklu, Ayse Mine Gencler Ozkan, Osman Tugay for access to the ANK, AEF, KNYA university herbaria, respectively in 2014. To TUBITAK-KBAG for support of Grant no. 212T113 and TUBITAK-BIDEB for support that made R.J. Soreng's visit possible to Namik Kemal University

A new species of Bellardiochloa, B-doganiana (Poaceae), from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey

Bellardiochloa doganiana, a new species from the Taurus Mountains of Turkey, is described and illustrated. It differs from the other four species of the genus in its basal tuft of short, stiff, terete, arched, pungent-tipped basal leaf-blades, conical panicles with numerous panicle branches and mostly 1 or 2 spikelets per branch, and pedicels as long as or longer than the spikelets.TUBITAK-KBAGTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [212T113]; TUBITAK-BIDEBTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)Our gratitude is extended to Musa Dogan for his contributions to botanical taxonomy of Turkey and support for the Poa project; To Yildirim Akman for his introduction of R.J. Soreng to the flora of central Turkey and providing assistance in field work in conjunction with Osman Ketenoglu, Latif Kurt,Kerim Guney, and Umit Bingol for guidance and assistance in field work to R.J. Soreng in 1991 and 1993. To Lynn Gillespie for joint field work in Turkey in 2011. To Tugrul Koruklu, Ayse Mine Gencler Ozkan, Osman Tugay for access to the ANK, AEF, KNYA university herbaria, respectively in 2014. To TUBITAK-KBAG for support of Grant no. 212T113 and TUBITAK-BIDEB for support that made R.J. Soreng's visit possible to Namik Kemal University

Poa densa (Poaceae), an overlooked Turkish steppe grass, and the evolution of bulbs in Poa

Poa densa Troitsky is a characteristic species of the high steppe to low alpine vegetation of Turkey. It was overlooked in the Flora of Turkey, and although subsequently reported from a few stations in W part of C Anatolia, is actually relatively common and widespread across the semi-arid C and N steppes. Here we provide a key to related species, a full description, photographs, 2C value of nuclear DNA content, and a distribution map, and discuss its classification in the genus. The synonym Festuca conferta is lectotypified. DNA phylogenetic analysis and morphology data indicate P. densa is allied to species of P. subg. Poa sect. Macropoa, rather than to the P. bulbosa complex of P. subg. Ochlopoa sect. Arenariae, and support multiple origins of the basal bulb in the genus Poa.TUBITAK-KBAGTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [212T113]; TUBITAK-BIDEBTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK)We thank Musa Dogan for his support to the project by revising Poa in Turkey; Yildirim Akman for his introduction of R.J.S. to the flora of Turkey and providing assistance in field work; Osman Ketenoglu, Latif Kurt, Kerim Guney and Umit Bingol for guidance and assistance to R.J.S. in field work in 1991 and 1993; Konstantin Romaschenko for translations from Russian; Kanchi Gandhi for a scan of the Festuca conferta protologue; the Kew library for a scan of the Poa densa protologue; Maria Vorontsova for checking for this species at K; Metin Tuna for access to the flow cytometer; Tugrul Koruklu, Ayse Mine Gencler Ozkan and Osman Tugay for access to the AEF, ANK and KNYA university herbaria in 2014; the curators of the B, E and G herbaria for loans; TUBITAK-KBAG for support of Grant no. 212T113 to E.C.; TUBITAK-BIDEB for support that made possible R.J.S.'s visit to Namik Kemal University; and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper

Tall-statured grasses: a useful functional group for invasion science

Species in the grass family (Poaceae) have caused some of the most damaging invasions in natural ecosystems, but plants in this family are also among the most widely used by humans. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict their likelihood of naturalisation and impact. We explore whether plant height is of particular importance in determining naturalisation success and impact in Poaceae by comparing naturalisation of tall-statured grasses (TSGs; defined as grass species that maintain a self-supporting height of 2 m or greater) to non-TSGs using the Global Naturalised Alien Flora database. We review the competitive traits of TSGs and collate risk assessments conducted on TSGs. Of the c. 11,000 grass species globally, 929 qualify (c. 8.6%) as TSGs. 80.6% of TSGs are woody bamboos, with the remaining species scattered among 21 tribes in seven subfamilies. When all grass species were analysed, TSGs and non-TSGs did not differ significantly in the probability of naturalisation. However, when we analysed woody bamboos separately from the other grasses, the percentage of TSGs that have naturalised was 2–4 times greater than that of non-TSGs for both bamboos and non-bamboo groups. Our analyses suggest that woody bamboos should be analysed separately from other TSGs when considering naturalisation; within the ≥ 2 m height class they do not naturalise at the same rate as other TSGs. Rapid growth rate and the capacity to accumulate biomass (a function of height) give many TSGs a competitive advantage and allow them to form monospecific stands, accumulate dense and deep litter mats, reduce light availability at ground level, and alter fire and nutrient-cycling regimes, thereby driving rapid ecosystem transformation. While the height distribution in grasses is continuous (i.e. no obvious break is evident in heights), the 2 m designation for TSGs defines an important functional group in grasses that can improve predictive modelling for management and biosecurity