XVI International Botanical Congess

The genus Eriochloa comprises 30 species growing in tropical andsubtropical regions of both hemispheres. The phylogenetic analysis was made using anatomical and morphological characters, using Henning86, Nona and Pee-Wee, parsimony analyses on the basis of equally weighted characters, successive and implied weights. The selection of the outgroup was made between other related taxa of the Paniceae tribe, including species of Urochloa, Brachiaria, Axonopus and Panicum. Support index was implemented as an estimation of support for clades. The quality of diagnostic value of characters at specific level was discussed. The cladistic analysis confirmed the monophyly of the genus. Trends of evolution of characters and geographical patterns of diversification are discussed.