ABSTRACT
The discovery of numerous asymptomatic asexual endophytes in grasses, all thought to have phylogenetic affinity to the Balansieae, have made it important that a more complete knowledge of systematics of Balansieae be developed. Evolutionary relationships among groups of Balansieae are difficult to assess from this superficial evaluation of structural groups. The Balansieae are of worldwide distribution, comprising several major structural types. Important taxonomic features used to categorize Balansieae into groups are endophytic or epibiotic habit, stroma or pseudothecium construction, anamorph type, ascoma morphology ascus structure, ascospore development pattern, and part-spore shape. The eventual goal for systematic studies of Balansieae is to distinguish natural generic groupings and establish biological species concepts that are consistent with the tenants of population and evolutionary biology. The Clavicipiteae included only Claviceps, whereas four teleomorphic genera, Atkinsonella, Balansia, Balansiopsis, and Epichloe, were classified in the Balansieae.
