Phylogenetic relationships of Vepris (Rutaceae) inferred from chloroplast, nuclear, and morphological data.

The tribe Toddalieae Hook. F. (Rutaceae) has been controversial since its inception by Bentham and Hooker. The nine taxa examined, Acronychia J.R. & G.Foster, Diphasia Pierre, Diphasiopsis Mendonca, Fagaropsis Mildbr.ex. Siebenl., Oricia Pierre, Teclea Delile, Toddaliopsis Engl., Toddalia Juss. and Vepris Comm. ex. A. Juss, have been recognized under the tribe Toddalieae or Tribes Acronychia, Phellodendron and Toddalia. More recently Araliopsis Engl., Diphasia, Diphasiopsis, Oricia, Teclea, and Toddaliopsis have been incorporated into the genus Vepris, while Toddalia and Fagaropsis have continued to be recognized as closely related. For this study, sequence data of one non-coding chloroplast region (trnL-F) and one nuclear region (ITS) and various morphological characters, based on Mziray's taxonomic studies were examined to try to elucidate these relationships. This study found that the taxa Diphasia, Diphasiopsis, Oricia, Teclea, Toddaliopsis, Vepris, Toddalia eugeniifolia Engl. and Toddalia glomerata F. Hoffm. form a monophyletic group. Due to the amount of intrageneric and intraspecific variation, species delimitations were difficult to determine; however, these genera should be united into Vepris. The analyses also confirmed that Toddalia asiatica (L.) Lam., Zanthoxylon sp. and Fagaropsis angolensis (Engl.) H.M. Gardner are the closest relatives to this group.

Phylogenetic relationships of Zieria (Rutaceae) inferred from chloroplast, nuclear, and morphological data.

Zieria Sm. (Rutaceae, Boronieae) is predominantly native to eastern Australia except for one species, which is endemic to New Caledonia. For this study, sequence data of two non-coding chloroplast regions (trnL-trnF, and rpl32-trnL), one nuclear region (ITS region) and various morphological characters, based on Armstrong's (2002) taxonomic revision of Zieria, from 32 of the 42 described species of Zieria were selected to study the phylogenetic relationships within this genus. Zieria was supported as a monophyletic group in both independent and combined analyses herein (vs. Armstrong). On the basis of Armstrong's (2002) non-molecular phylogenetic study, six major taxon groups were defined for Zieria. The Maximum-parsimony and the Bayesian analyses of the combined morphological and molecular datasets indicate a lack of support for any of these six major taxon groups. On the basis of the combined Bayesian analysis consisting of molecular and morphological characters, eight major taxon groups are described for Zieria: 1. Zieriacytisoides group, 2. Zieriagranulata group, 3. Zierialaevigata group, 4. Zieriasmithii group, 5. Zieriaaspalathoides group, 6. Zieriafurfuracea group, 7. Zieriamontana group, and 8. Zieriarobusta group. These informal groups, except for of the groups Zieriarobusta and Zieriacytisoides, correspond to the clades with posterior probability values of 100.

Phylogeny, biogeography, and the evolution of life-history traits in Leucadendron (Proteaceae).

Leucadendron is a moderately large genus of Proteaceae almost entirely restricted to the Cape Floristic Region of southern Africa. The genus is unusual in being dioecious and sexually dimorphic. ITS sequence data were obtained from 62 of the 96 currently recognized taxa (85 species and 11 subspecies). Phylogenetic analyses were conducted under Maximum Likelihood and parsimony and resolved nine groups of species with varying degrees of bootstrap support, but relationships between these groups are largely unsupported. The phylogeny conflicts with the current taxonomic arrangement, which is based mainly on fruit morphology. The two sections of the genus, Alatosperma and Leucadendron, and several subsections within these sections, are resolved as non-monophyletic. This means that taxonomically important characters (such as fruit shape) have evolved multiple times, as the species with nut-like fruit (resolved into two of the nine groups) appear to have evolved independently from ancestors with winged fruit. Based on the topology obtained, the life history traits of anemophily, myrmechochory, and re-sprouting have also originated multiple times. Dispersal-Vicariance (DIVA) analysis suggests that the genus had an ancestral area in the Karoo Mountain and Southeastern phytogeographic centres of endemism in the southwestern Cape.

Phylogenetic relationships of the Aurantioideae inferred from chloroplast DNA sequence data.

The tribes and subtribes of Aurantioideae, an economically important subfamily of the Rutaceae, have a controversial taxonomic history because of the lack of a phylogenetic framework. The rps16 and trnL-trnF sequences of the chloroplast were analyzed phylogenetically to construct an evolutionary history and evaluate the most recent classification system of Swingle and Reece (The Citrus Industry, volume 1 [1967]). Taxa representing tribes Citreae and Clauseneae and five of the six subtribes were sampled. Conflicts in the positions of some taxa between the rps16 and trnL-trnF trees are poorly supported. In all analyses, the Aurantioideae are monophyletic. The strict consensus tree of the combined analysis indicates that the two tribes along with the subtribes sampled are not monophyletic. The combined topology is not congruent with the widely used classification of Aurantioideae by Swingle and Reece. The tribes and subtribes are in need of revision.