Progress in the phylogeny and evolution of Fuireneae s.l. (Cyperaceae)
Cassandra D. V. Bradshaw,  Étienne Léveillé-Bourret, Isabel Larridon, Robert F. C. Naczi, Jeremy Bruhl, Pedro Jiménez- Mejías, Karen Wilson, & Julian R. Starr

Considerable changes to the classification of the large (ca. 5500 spp.), cosmopolitan monocot family Cyperaceae ("sedges") have been made over the past 20 years. This is largely due to the reconstruction of relationships using molecular data. Nonetheless, many groups remain poorly studied, such as grade Fuireneae s.l., a collection of ca. 150 spp. common to humid and wet habitats worldwide. The group possesses numerous annuals and perennials, and holds ecological and economic importance, often dominating their natural habitats and acting as noxious crop weeds. Though a recent molecular study found support to divide Fuireneae s.l. into four tribes and six genera, only 30% of the grade's diversity was sampled, sampling was poor where the group was most diverse (Asia), species-level complexes remain unresolved, and tribes could only be divided using impractical microscopic characters. Interestingly, preliminary data from the study suggests a transition from an annual to a perennial life history strategy, for which few examples are known in angiosperms, and especially in monocots. Using a complete taxonomic sample of Fuireneae s.l., and molecular (Hyb-Seq), morphological, and embryo characters, we are testing whether current tribal, generic and infrageneric classifications of Fuireneae s.l. are natural, and if some perennials in the grade are derived from annuals as suggested by preliminary data.