This molecular study focuses on the largest and taxonomically most diverse subfamily of the African Cyperaceae, namely the Cyperoideae. It will enable us to answer questions on the generic definitions, e.g. in Cyperus s.l. and the Abildgaardieae. To assess the homology of selected morphological characters, they will be compared with the molecular phylogenetic data'New Evolutionary Morphology) in order to obtain a better evolutionary insight in the phylogeny of the Cyperoideae.