Mitotic chromosomes of eight populations of six species of Vernonia sensu Baker (Asteraceae, Vernonieae, section Lepidaploa, group Axilliflorae) were studied to assess the validity of maintaining the genus as proposed currently (sensu Baker) or of splitting it into several smaller genera (sensu Robinson). The species were collected in areas of 'cerrado' and 'campo rupestre' in southern and central-western Brazil. The chromosome numbers were 2n = 20-40 and karyotypic analysis showed a predominance of metacentric chromosomes, with some submetacentrics. B chromosomes were seen in one population of V. geminata. The chromosomes varied in length from 0.9 to 4.6 mu m, with a total chromatin length of 29.7-45.0 mu m and a symmetry index of 41.2-46.9%. The intrachromosomal asymmetry index varied from 0.13 to 0.29, and the interchromosomal asymmetry index varied from 0.15 to 0.21. The dispersion diagram showed that population 1 of V. geminata had the most asymmetrical karyotype. These results do not provide sufficient evidence for a conclusive cytotaxonomic discussion of Vernonia, mainly because of the impossibility of associating any infrageneric group with specific karyotypic characters, and also because of the small number of species analysed so far. (C) 2007 The Linnean Society of London.154199108