Contribution to the caryological study of the African grass Aristida rhiniochloa Hochst., based on specimens from the Southern Hemisphere

Abstract

The chromosome number established for Aristida rhiniochloa Hochst. by the study of material from three localities in the Southern Hemisphere confirms the results obtained on material from North Africa. The haploid complement (n = 11) and the diploid number (2n = 22) of this species conform to the basic number x = 11 typical for the Aristideae. It is shown that the caryotype of this species is sub-symmetrical. Preliminary studies o f material from two localities show that the meiotic behaviour conforms to that found in the diploid species with n bivalents.