Biosystematic studies on the Rubiaceae have a long tradition at the Institute of Botany in Vienna. Within this family the Anthospermeae, and especially its African and Madagascan members, are of particular interest because of several aspects in their evolution: I) Perfection of anemophily within an otherwise nearly exclusively zoophilous family; 2) transitions from hermaphrodity to polygamy and finally dioecy; 3) differentiation from large and long-lived shrubs to short-lived herbs; 4) adaptive radiation from humid to seasonally dry, fire-exposed and xeric habitats. However, morphological...