The Evolution of Stinging Hairs and Other Characters in Nettle Family

摘要

Urticaceae Juss.is a large cosmopolitan family and taxonomically difficult group,partly because it encompasses a broad range of morphological diversity and many of the diagnostic characters(e.g.flower,achene.stipule,bract)require a microscope for accurate determination.Meanwhile,most Uriiceae species have stinging hairs which make them more difficult to collect and identify.As a result,the infra-familial classification of Urticaceae has been controversial for more than a century.A research group led by Prof.LI Dezhu from the