Resumo

GUEVARA O, Lorena  e  BENITEZ DE ROJAS, Carmen. Morphological characterization and phenetic relations between species of the orders Liliales and Poales. Bioagro [online]. 2004, vol.16, n.2, pp.99-112. ISSN 1316-3361.

Nineteen species belonging to eight families from the order Liliales (Cronquist, 1988) and two species from the family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae (Judd et al., 1999) were studied to make a morphological characterization, for comparing and arguing possible phenetical relations. Specimens were collected in different regions of Venezuela. Other plants were studied from the "Víctor Manuel Badillo" herbarium of the Agronomy School of the Universidad Central de Venezuela. From vegetative and reproductive structures analysis, descriptions, comparisons, and detailed illustrations of the species were made. Phenetic relations among families where established by using the numerical taxonomy techniques (Sneath y Sokal, 1973): clustering analysis and principal coordinates analysis. Also, a morphological key for species, phenograms, and principal coordinates graphics are presented. All studied species present large and showy perianths, except for those from Dioscoreaceae, Smilacaceae and Poaceae. Two phenetically related large groups are presented: 1) Agavaceae, Aloeaceae, Haemodoraceae, Iridaceae, Pontederiaceae, and Liliaceae, and 2) Dioscoreaceae, Smilacaceae, and Poaceae. 

Palavras-chave : Botany; morphology; taxonomy; Bambusoideae.