**5.1.1 Bambusoideae**

84 The Dynamical Processes of Biodiversity – Case Studies of Evolution and Spatial Distribution

Austral Chile, also known as Chilean Patagonia, includes the regions of Aysén and Magallanes and extends from about 43°S to the south. While Aysén has been weekly collected, Magallanes is one of the best known from a floristic point of view (Fig. 5). In Aysén 112 grass species have been collected (Table 1), including 77 native species, 19 introduced species and 4 endemic species (*Anthoxanthum altissimum*, *Chusquea montana*, *C. quila*, and *C. uliginosa*). In Magallanes 158 species have been collected (Table 1). Endemic species in this region are *Alopecurus heleochloides*, *Festuca magensiana*, *Hordeum brachyatherum*.

In Chile, Poaceae number approximately 523 species and 57 infraspecific taxa, distributed in 122 genera (Table 2), representing about 10.1% of the Chilean flora. Poaceae is the second most diverse family of angiosperms in Chile after Asteraceae with about 863 species (Moreira-Muñoz & Muñoz-Schick, 2007). Of the 13 subfamilies of Poaceae, eight are present in Chile. As expected, most of the Chilean grasses (388 spp., 75%) belong to the subfamily Pooideae, followed by a few Panicoideae (59 spp., 10%), and Chloridoideae (43 spp., 7.9%). Species are distributed in 17 tribes and 43 subtribes. Three-hundred and fifty six species (68%) are native, 58 species (11%) are endemic and 109 species and 12 varieties (21%) are introduced. Percentages of native, introduced and endemic species in each political region are shown in Fig. 6. Endemic species belong to 23 genera in four subfamilies: Bambusoideae

taxa

Total taxa

Total %

(7 spp.), Chloridoideae (1 sp.), Danthonioideae (3 spp.), and Pooideae (47 spp.).

Aristidoideae 1 1 1 3 0 3 0.52 Arundinoideae 1 1 2 2 0 2 0.35 Bambusoideae 1 1 1 10 1 11 1.89 Chloridoideae 3 9 16 43 3 46 7.93 Danthonioideae 1 1 4 20 4 24 4.13 Ehrhartoideae 2 2 2 2 0 2 0.35 Panicoideae 2 10 19 55 4 59 10.17 Pooideae 6 18 77 388 45 433 74.65 Total 17 43 122 523 57 580 100.00

Table 2. Number of tribes, subtribes, genera, species, and infraspecific taxa in the eight

species are indicated with and asterisk (\*), and endemic species are bold faced.

comprises the majority of the Chilean grasses (ca. 450 spp, ca. 80%).

The arrangement of the genera of Poaceae according to the classification of (Soreng et al., 2009) is shown in Table 3. Under each subfamily each species is mentioned. Introduced

The three subfamilies of the BEP clade grow in Chile (Bambusoideae, Ehrhartoideae, Pooideae) but only two (Bambusoideae and Pooideae) include native species. The BEP clade

Subfamily Tribes Subtribes Genera Species Infraspecific

Introduced species number 38 and native species number 117.

**5. Taxonomic diversity of Chilean grasses** 

subfamilies of Poaceae present in Chile.

**5.1 BEP clade** 

Bambusoideae are represented in Chile only by the genus *Chusquea* (Bambuseae, Chusqueinae). This diverse genus comprises some 134 described species; notwithstanding, some 70 species remain undescribed (Judziewicz et al. 1999). The genus *Chusquea* is exclusively American, growing from Mexico to Chile and Argentina, from approximately 24°N to 47°S and from see level to approximately 4000 m of altitude. Ten species and one variety grow in Chile, seven species are endemic (Tables 2 and 3). In Chile, the species of *Chusquea* are usually associated to forest margins, from approx. 30°S (Coquimbo) to 46°40'S (Aysén), and from the see level to 2300 m in the Andes. The most widely distributed species in Chile is *C. culeou* (coligüe), living from Choapa (31 ° S) to Aysén (45 °S) between the see level to ca. 2000 m of altitude; this species lives also in Argentina. Common to Chile and Argentina are also *C. andina*, *C. montana* f. *montana* (tihuén) and *C. valdiviensis* (quila del sur). Although *C. quila* (quila) is considered endemic to Chile, some botanists considered it a synonym of *C. valdiviensis* (Nicora, 1978; Parodi, 1945). Even though *C. quila* has been collected between Valparaíso (33°S) and Aysén (44°S) it has its main distribution between Valparaiso and Ñuble (approx. 36°S), while *C. valdiviensis* is distributed mainly from the Araucanía Region (38°S) to the south (Chiloé, 43°S). *Chusquea andina* lives in the centralsouthern regions of Bío-Bío and Araucanía, above the tree line in the Andes. *Chusquea montana* f. *montana* grows between Ñuble (36°S) and Chiloé (46°S), as well as *C. valdiviensis*. Endemic to Chile are *C. ciliata*, *C. cumingii*, *C. fernandeziana*, *C. macrostachya* (quila), *C. montana* f. *nigricans* (quila enana), *C. quila* and *C. uliginosa*. *Chusquea ciliata* is endemic to the Region of Valparaíso. *Chusquea fernandeziana* is endemic to the Robinson Crusoe or Juan Fernández archipelago, where is found in Masatierra on outcrops between rocks, ravines or forest, usually isolated and sparse (Baeza et al., 2002). When Munro describes *C. ligulata* from Cundinamarca (Colombia), he includes under this name a sterile specimen collected by Bertero in Juan Fernández that possibly corresponds to *C. fernandeziana* (Parodi, 1945). This is, probably, the reason why *C. ligulata* is included sometimes as a synonym of *C. fernandeziana*. However, *C. ligulata* is closer to or conespecific with *C. sneidernii* Asplund of section Longiprophyllae, not to *C. fernandeziana* (Clark, 1990). *Chusquea cumingii* grows between Limarí (Region of Coquimbo, 30 °S) and Ñuble (36 °S), usually below 1500 m of altitude. *Chusquea macrostachya* has been collected between Santiago and Chiloé (33-43°S) but it is found more frequently in the southern regions of the country into the forest under the canopy or in canopy gaps as well as in roadsides. *Chusquea uliginosa* (quila de los ñadis), is found from Valdivia to Aysén (39-44°S), below 1500 m of altitude, in the central valley. The species of *Chusquea* are known in Chile by the vernacular names "coligües" or "quilas". Indigenous people ("mapuches") used the culms of *C. culeou* (coligüe) to build partitions inside their houses ("rucas"), musical instruments ("trutrucas") or fences, and used quilas (*C. quila*, *C. cumingii*), as forage for livestock. Currently, craftsmen use coligües to build furniture. Although coligües are not widely used in the industry, some properties like specific gravity, fiber length and chemical constitution suggest that this plant could be used as raw material for paper and for particle or fiber board production (Poblete et al., 2009).

#### **5.1.2 Ehrhartoideae link**

In Chile, Ehrhartoideae are absent from the native grass flora, but both the cultivated (rice) and wild rice (red rice, *Oryza sativa*) are found. Approximately 25,000 ha of rice are grown in a small south-central area of the country, located between O'Higgins (34°S) and Bío-Bío

Systematic Diversity of the Family Poaceae (Gramineae) in Chile 87

being the largest genus of the tribe Stipeae in Chile, encompasses about 30 species, 10 of which are endemic. The genus *Nassella* ranges, approximately, between 17°S and 43°S. Two species of genus *Ortachne*, *O. breviseta* and *O. rariflora* inhabit the subantartic forests. *Ortachne breviseta* grows between Valdivia and Llanquihue (39-41°S) and *O. rariflora* between Chiloé and Tierra del Fuego (42-55°S), and from see level to 1700 m of altitude. The genus *Pappostipa* includes six species in Chile distributed between Arica (18°S) and Magallanes (53°S). *Pappostipa chrysophylla*, *P. ibari* and *P. humilis* are restricted to or have its main distribution in southern Chile. On the contrary, *P. atacamensis* and *P. frigida* are distributed primarily in northern Chile. *Pappostipa speciosa* is widely distributed in Chile and it is found also in the northern hemisphere. The genus *Piptatherum* is introduced. *Piptochaetium* includes seven species distributed from Limarí (Coquimbo) to Osorno (Los Lagos). Tribe **Poeae** is by far the largest in species number, with 58 genera and more than 290 species or 72%. The largest genera are *Poa* (48 spp.), *Agrostis* (28 spp.), *Festuca* (27 spp.), *Deyeuxia* (26 spp.), *Deschampsia* (15 spp), *Trisetum* (11 spp.), and *Anthoxanthum* (8 spp.). A large number of genera in this tribe are represented by only one or two species, such as *Bromidium*, *Calotheca*, *Chascolytrum*, *Dielsiochloa*, *Helictotrichon*, *Gymnachne*, *Leptophyllochloa*, *Megalachne*, *Podophorus*, *Relchela*, *Rhombolytrum*, etc. Twenty-five taxa of Poeae are endemic to Chile: *Agrostis umbellata*, *A. masafuerana*, *A. arvensis*, *A. insularis*, *Alopecurus heleochloides*, *A. lechleri*, *Anthoxanthum altissimum*, *A. spicatum*, *Bromidium trisetoides*, *Deschampsia setacea*, *D. looseriana*, *D. monandra*, *Festuca magensiana*, *F. morenensis*, *F. panda*, *F. tunicata*, *F. werdermannii*, *Gymnachne koelerioides*, *Phalaris amethystina*, *Poa cumingii*, *P. paposana*, *P. pfisteri*, *Polypogon linearis*, *Trisetum johnstonii* subsp. *mattheii*, and *T. nancaguense*. Tribe **Triticeae** includes some economically important species, such as wheat, rye, triticale, and barley, grown in the temperate regions of the world. In Chile, Triticeae comprises seven genera: *Agropyron*, represented only by *A. cristatum* an introduce species growing only in Magallanes, *Elymus***,**  *Hordeum***,** *Leymus***,** *Secale*, *Taeniatherum and Triticum***.** Only *Hordeum* and *Elymus* contain native species and only one endemic species is found in this tribe, *Hordeum brachyaterum*. Tribe **Bromeae** includes only the genus *Bromus*, with 24 species. *Bromus gunckelii* is an endemic species of northern Chile. *Bromus mango* was used by indigenous people (mapuches) as a

cereal grain. This species is probably extinct (Mösbach, 1999).

Arundinoideae, Danthonioideae, Panicoideae and Chloridoideae.

Five subfamilies of Chilean Poaceae belong to the PACMAD clade: Aristidoideae,

In Chile, only the genus *Aristida* is present, with three native species. Genus *Aristida* is distributed from Arica and Parinacota (ca. 18°S) to Araucanía (Malleco, 37°50'S). *Aristida adscensionis* is found in northern-central Chile (approx. 18°S-33°S), and *A. pallens* and *A. spegazzinii* in central-southern Chile (approx. 35-37°S). It has been established (Matthei, 1987) that *A. longiseta* previously cited for Chile (Marticorena & Quezada, 1985) is absent in Chile.

Arundinoideae comprises two species, *Arundo donax* and *Phragmites australis*; both species are tall reeds of wet places. *Phragmites australis* is a weed of rice fields (Matthei, 1995); *A.* 

**5.2 PACMAD clade** 

**5.2.1 Aristidoideae Caro**

**5.2.2 Arundinoideae Burmeist** 

*donax* is sometimes cultivated as ornamental.

(36°S), which is the southernmost region of the rice crop in the world. In the same area, wild red rice is found, one of the most problematic weed of rice production in temperate countries (Gealy et al., 2003). *Ehrharta calycina* is native to southern Africa (Barkworth et al., 2007); it has been collected in pastures in Elqui and cultivated in Rinconada de Maipú Experimental Station of University of Chile, Metropolitan Region.
