Abstract Detail

Systematics Section

Abbott, J. Richard [1], Carlsward, Barbara S. [2], Neubig, K. M. [3], Judd, W. S. [4], Whitten, W. M. [5], Williams, N. H. [5].

The disintegration of Polygala (Polygalaceae), with four new genera for the flora of North America.

Polygalaceae are a monophyletic assemblage, globally including almost all plant life forms, from annual herbs to lianas and trees. It is only recently that scientists have begun to resolve the patterns of relationship among genera in the family, and it is now clear that Polygala, as traditionally circumscribed, is an artificial, polyphyletic assemblage, obfuscating our understanding of the species, their relationships, morphology, ecology, and biogeography. Forty-five species of North American Polygalaceae, representing 80% of the ca. 55 native species and all of the traditional subgenera, sections, and series in North America, were phylogenetically analyzed, along with 134 extralimital taxa, using nrITS and the plastid trnL intron and adjacent spacer trnL-F. These analyses increased the number of Polygala species in published phylogenetic analyses nearly three-fold and of North American taxa six-fold. We propose the generic recognition of Chamaebuxus (DC.) Spach, Hebecarpa (Chodat) J.R. Abbott, comb. et stat. nov., Hebeclada (Chodat) J.R. Abbott and J.F.B. Pastore, comb. et stat. nov., and Rhinotropis (Blake) J.R. Abbott, comb. et stat. nov., with the remaining North American species maintained within a monophyletic Polygala, which also includes many Old World species. These genera are all monophyletic, their recognition does not result in the paraphyly of any other genera, they are morphologically diagnosable, and they are all traditionally recognized taxa (as subgenera and sections). At least 10 separate lineages of Polygalaceae occur in North America, nine of them most closely related to other New World lineages.

Broader Impacts:

1 - Eastern Illinois University, Department of Biological Sciences, Charleston, IL, 61920, USA
2 - Eastern Illinois University, Department of Biological Sciences, 600 Lincoln Avenue, Charleston, Illinois, 61920-3099, USA
3 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
4 - University of Florida, Department of Botany, 220 Bartram Hall, P.O. Box 118526, Gainesville, Florida, 32611-8526, USA
5 - University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History, Gainesville, Florida, 32611-7800, USA

Keywords:
Polygalaceae
Chamaebuxus
Hebecarpa
Hebeclada
Polygala
phylogeny
North America.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 10
Location: Ballroom D/Convention Center
Date: Monday, August 2nd, 2010
Time: 2:15 PM
Number: 10006
Abstract ID:224