Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The Ruschieae is the most diverse and speciose tribe within the large subfamily Ruschioideae (Aizoaceae), with approximately 71 genera and a distribution centred in the arid parts of the Greater Cape Floristic Region (GCFR) of South Africa. Recent phylogenetic analyses provided the first insights into generic relationships within the tribe, with a number of novel generic relationships discovered. The tribal phylogeny recovered 12 large clades, of which the Conophytum-clade was one the most morphologically diverse based on leaf and capsule characters. The Conophytum-clade is an early-diverging lineage of the Ruschieae and includes the following 10 genera: Cheiridopsis N.E.Br., Conophytum N.E.Br., Enarganthe N.E.Br., Ihlenfeldtia H.E.K.Hartmann, Jensenobotrya A.G.J.Herre, Namaquanthus L.Bolus, Octopoma N.E.Br., Odontophorus N.E.Br., Ruschianthus L.Bolus and Schlechteranthus Schwantes. The present study presents an expanded phylogenetic analysis of the Conophytum-clade, with the sampling of the majority of species in the genera and a representative sampling (56% of species) of the speciose genus Conophytum. Phylogenetic data for up to nine plastid gene regions (atpB–rbcL, matK, psbJ–petA, rpl16, rps16, trnD– trnT, trnL–F, trnQᶷᶷᶢ–rps16, trnS–trnG) were produced for each of the sampled species. The produced plastid data was analyses using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. The combined plastid phylogenetic analyses were used in combination with morphological, anatomical and palynological data to assess generic and subgeneric circumscriptions within the clade. Upon assessment of generic circumscriptions in the Conophytum-clade, the number of recognised genera in the clade decreased from ten to seven. Arenifera A.G.J.Herre, which had not been sampled in any phylogeny of the Ruschieae, and Octopoma were recovered as polyphyletic, with species placed in the Conophytum-clade, while the type species was placed in the xeromorphic clade of the tribal phylogeny. The species of Arenifera and Octopoma placed in the Conophytum-clade were subsequently included in Schlechteranthus upon assessment of generic circumscriptions between the taxa. Two morphological groupings were recognised within Schlechteranthus, one including the species of Schlechteranthus and the other including species previously recognised as Arenifera and Octopoma. These two morphological groupings were treated as subgenera, with the erection of the new subgenus Microphyllus R.F.Powell. A detailed taxonomic revision of subgenus Microphyllus is presented with a key to species, descriptions of the species (including a new species: S. parvus R.F.Powell & Klak), known geographical distributions and illustrations of the species. In addition to the changes mentioned above, the expanded sampling and phylogenetic analyses of the Conophytum-clade recovered Ihlenfeldtia and Odontophorus embedded in Cheiridopsis. The species of Ihlenfeldtia were recovered with species of heiridopsis subgenus Aequifoliae H.E.K.Hartmann, while the species of Odontophorus were recovered as polyphyletic within the Cheiridopsis subgenus Odontophoroides H.E.K.Hartmann clade. Cheiridopsis was subsequently expanded to include the species of Ihlenfeldtia and Odontophorus, with these species accommodated in the subgenera of Cheiridopsis. The phylogenetic placement and relationship of these species was supported by the shared capsule morphology. The expanded sampling of the clade did not resolve the phylogenetic relationship of the monotypic genera Enarganthe, Jensenobotrya, Namaquanthus and Ruschianthus, with these genera unresolved in the Conophytum-clade. These genera however, exhibit a unique combination of morphological characters, such as a glabrous leaf epidermis and variation in pollen exine and colpi structure, in contrast to the other genera of the clade. The assessment of the generic circumscription of these genera, based on the molecular, morphological, anatomical and palynological data suggested that the generic statuses of these monotypic genera should be maintained. The expanded phylogenetic sampling of the morphologically diverse and speciose genus Conophytum recovered the genus as monophyletic. This monophyly was supported by the unique floral type in Conophytum, with the fused petaloid staminodes forming a tube. None of the sectional classifications were recovered as monophyletic but the phylogenetic analyses did recover a few clades which more or less corresponded to the current sectional classification of the genus. A number of clades were also recovered which included species from a range of different sections. Diverse leaf and floral traits were shown to have evolved numerous times across the genus. This was particularly interesting with regards to the selected floral traits, as the phylogeny indicated a number of switches in floral morphologies across the genus. The floral diversity was assessed in complex species communities of Conophytum across the GCFR, where up to 11 species of Conophytum are found occurring sympatrically, and floral traits were shown to be different across the species within the communities. Pollination competition and adaptation were suggested as possible drivers of floral diversity in the genus, with differences in phenology, anthesis and floral morphology within the species complex communities. The unique floral type of Conophytum has enabled the species to develop a diverse range of specialised flowers, with a variety of structures, scents and colours, resulting in the diverse floral morphologies found across the genus. The complex Conophytum species communities included both closely as well as distantly related species, suggesting the soft papery capsules of Conophytum are wind dispersed. This adaptation to long distance seed dispersal resulted in a significantly higher phylogenetic diversity in Conophytum when compared to its sister genus, Cheiridopsis. A population genetics study of Conophytum also suggested that the capsules may be wind dispersed, with an indication of genetic connectivity between the geographically isolated populations of C. marginatum Lavis across the Bushmanland Inselberg Region. Although the capsules are dispersed by wind, the seeds are released from the hygrochastic capsules by runoff during rainfall events. The relationship between seed dispersal and runoff is evident from the genetic structure of populations of C. maughanii N.E.Br. and C. ratum S.A.Hammer that occur on the tops and the surrounding bases of the inselbergs, as the drainage pattern was found to directly influence population structure in these species. In addition, the AFLP analyses provided insight into the conservation of the flagship species C. ratum. The summit populations of this species were shown to sustain the populations at the base of the Gamsberg. This finding is especially important, as the distribution of the species is restricted to the Gamsberg inselberg, where mining has already commenced as of this year. / National Research Foundation (NRF)