1. Systematics of Apocynaceae - Asclepiadoideae
The family Apocynaceae s.l. consists of currently 374 genera and ca. 3500 species, distributed throughout the tropics and subtropics. It is presently subdivided into five subfamilies. Subfamily Asclepiadoideae with ca. 250 genera and more than 2000 species is well characterized by the possession of polliaria. Our research is focussing on delimitation of monophyletic units on tribal, subtribal and generic level using molecular and classical tools. On this base, we study the morphological characters in an evolutionary context and try to identify causes for the surprising homoiologies between phylogenetically distant groups. Furthermore, we take a particular effort to record and document biodiversity in the family by contributing to Flora Projects around the world.
Active Projects (with main focus on this field)
| APOPOL | APOPOL - Pollinators of Apocynaceae s.str. Sigrid Liede-Schumann, Ulrich Meve |
| ASCHROM | ASCHROM - Chromosome numbers in Periplocoideae, Secamonoideae and Asclepiadoideae Ulrich Meve |
| ASCLEPOL | ASCLEPOL - Pollinators of Periplocoideae, Secamonoideae and Asclepiadoideae Sigrid Liede-Schumann, Ulrich Meve |
| Cynanchinae | Cynanchinae in Africa Sigrid Liede-Schumann |
| DELTA: genera Asclepiadoideae | Genera of Asclepiadoideae, Secamoinoideae and Periplocoideae (Apocynaceae) Sigrid Liede-Schumann, Ulrich Meve |
Completed Projects (with main focus on this field)
| Hooker's Asclepiads | Hooker's Asclepiads Sigrid Liede-Schumann, Ulrich Meve |
Completed Projects (with partial focus on this field)
| DFG Li 496/17 | Reproduktionsbiologie im Unterwuchs eines Bergregenwaldes in Südecuador - Generalistische und spezialisierte Bestäubungsstrategien Ulf Soltau, Sigrid Liede-Schumann |