Multi-gene Region Phylogenetic Analysis of the Grape Family (Vitaceae)

Phylogenetic relationships of 34 species and 11 out of 14 Vitaceae genera, were evaluated using parsimony and Bayesian analyses of four plastid DNA sequence regions (trnL intron, trnL-trnF spacer, atpB-rbcL spacer, and rps16 intron). Vitaceae were shown to be monophyletic and at infrafamilial level, well-supported groups included a Cayratia-Cyphostemma-Tetrastigma clade, an Ampelopsis-Cissus striata-Rhoicissus clade, and a Nothocissus-Pterisanthes clade. However, the relationships among the remaining genera remained unresolved. Cyphostemma, Tetrastigma, and Vitis were clearly monophyletic, while both Ampelopsis and Cayratia were paraphyletic and Cissus was polyphyletic. Parsimony based studies of character evolution suggested that 5-merous flowers, leaf-opposed inflorescences, and a hermaphroditic sexuality are ancestral character states in the family.