Abstract We report the discovery and delimitation of a new Manihot species, here named Manihot capsularis , from Serra de Grão Mogol, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Integrating morphological and molecular evidence, we distinguish this taxon from its sister species, M. caerulescens . Morphologically, M. capsularis is characterized by pubescent vegetative and reproductive structures, capsular fruits, seeds with a well-developed caruncle, and darker green leaves, whereas M. caerulescens typically has glabrous, lighter green leaves, baccate fruits, and seeds that are ecarunculate or have an inconspicuous caruncle. Phylogenetic analyses of three nuclear gene regions ( ch_metE , g3pdh , and nia-i3 ) recovered two well-supported clades corresponding to the two species. A ch_metE haplotype network corroborated these lineages, with no haplotype sharing observed between them. Microsatellite data further supported species distinctiveness and population structure: Bayesian clustering identified three genetic groups, with all M. caerulescens specimens forming a single cluster, whereas M. capsularis specimens split into two distinct clusters with limited admixture. Genetic diversity metrics indicated private alleles in all M. capsularis populations and high observed heterozygosity. The new species is endemic to Campos rupestres on sandy soils and can be recognized in the field and in herbaria. Given its restricted distribution (extent of occurrence < 100 km 2 ) and habitat specificity, M. capsularis is provisionally assessed as Critically Endangered. This study highlights the value of combining molecular and morphological data for robust species delimitation in taxonomically complex groups and underscores the need for conservation attention to narrowly endemic taxa within Manihot .

Nuclear genome sizes of 54 representative species from 44 genera of the monocot order Poales were investigated by flow cytometry. Small holoploid genomes with < 2 pg/2C are characteristic of the Poales; only some families have larger 2C values, although this is not consistently the case. The sizes of monoploid genomes as well as mean DNA content per chromosome (MC) show a similar pattern. A comparison of the genome size data with current molecular phylogenetic data suggests that small monoploid genomes (1Cx < 0.4 pg) and small chromosomes (MC ≤ 0.05 pg), as found in some families, are likely the ancestral features of the order Poales. Conspicuous increases in genome size occurred particularly in the Poaceae (grasses) and to a lesser extent in the xyrid clade and the Restionaceae. According to previous phylogenomic studies, the Poaceae are characterized by a whole-genome duplication (WGD) called ρ, which is absent in all other Poales families. However, it is clear from the 1Cx values that the ρ event is not, or no longer, associated with a significant increase in the minimum 1Cx genome sizes of grasses compared to other Poales families. Future studies need to clarify whether the smallest 1Cx values in the Poaceae are due to a secondary reduction of the nuclear genome after the ρ event and whether the relatively large minimal 1Cx values of the xyrid clade were caused by a further WGD within Poales.

Pollination by deception is assumed as the general rule among pleurothallid orchids. However, considering the exceptional diversity of this group (44 genera and over 5100 species) and the relatively limited number of available studies (pollination ecology has been assessed in only 17 genera), generalized trends about their pollination systems might disregard a wide variety of specific life-history traits and inconspicuous honest signals/rewards for pollinators. The few known associations of pleurothallid orchids with a large assortment of fly taxa further support the assumption of generalized pollination by deception. We investigated the natural pollination system of Masdevallia hortensis, a strictly endemic species of cloud forests in the Western Andes of Colombia. This species exhibited a sophisticated and unique pollination mechanism, producing sugary secretions in the lateral sepals along purple dotted patches, fed upon by different visiting species of fruit flies (Drosophilidae). The sucrose concentration in these secretions varied throughout the day and significantly decreased after pollinaria removal. Visiting fruit flies appeared to be guided towards a chamber between the mobile lip and the column, by dotted lines in the lateral sepals. During visitations, individuals of the most abundant species in our observations (Drosophila sp. 1) were singly entrapped in the chamber until eventually freeing themselves with the pollinaria attached to their bodies. We also demonstrated that M. hortensis is strictly self-incompatible, which makes fly pollination an essential process for the maintenance of natural populations of the species. The flowers of M. hortensis offer rewards for visiting insects, an aspect that should be thoroughly evaluated before making generalizations. In this way, we urge integrative ecological studies to understand the reproductive evolutionary patterns in this group of orchids.

Connaraceae is a pantropical family of about 200 species containing lianas and small trees with remarkably diverse floral polymorphisms, including distyly, tristyly, homostyly, and dioecy. To date, relationships within the family have not been investigated using a targeted molecular phylogenetic treatment, severely limiting systematic understanding and reconstruction of trait evolution. Accordingly, their last infrafamilial classification was based only on morphological data. Here, we used phylogenomic data obtained using the Angiosperms353 nuclear target sequence capture probes, sampling all tribes and almost all genera, entirely from herbarium specimens, to revise infrafamilial classification and investigate the evolution of heterostyly. The backbone of the resulting molecular phylogenetic tree is almost entirely resolved. Connaraceae consists of two clades, one containing only the African genus Manotes (4 or 5 species), which we newly recognize at the subfamily level. Vegetative and reproductive synapomorphies are proposed for Manotoideae. Within Connaroideae, Connareae is expanded to include the former Jollydoreae. The backbone of Cnestideae, which contains more than half of the Connaraceae species, remains incompletely resolved. Reconstructions of reproductive system evolution are presented that tentatively support tristyly as the ancestral state for the family, with multiple parallel losses, in agreement with previous hypotheses, plus possible re-gains. However, the great diversity of stylar polymorphisms and their phylogenetic lability preclude a definitive answer. Overall, this study reinforces the usefulness of herbarium phylogenomics, and unlocks the reproductive diversity of Connaraceae as a model system for the evolution of complex biological phenomena.