Morphological cladistic analysis of some bifurcate hairy sections of Astragalus (Fabaceae) in Iran

The phylogenetic relationships among some bifurcate hairy sections of Astragalus L. were reconstructed using 38 vegetative and reproductive morphological characters. A data matrix comprising 36 ingroups and 2 outgroups was analysed using the maximum parsimony method. The present results revealed that sections Onobrychoidei DC. and Ornithopodium Bunge are interrelated taxa and form a single monophyletic group. The current status of section Dissitiflori DC. is a nonmonophyletic group. Its members form several subclades and unresolved branches across the tree. Sections Erioceras Bunge and Cytisodes Bunge as well as Corethrum Bunge are sister taxa and form weakly to highly supported monophyletic groups, respectively. Astragalus pravitzii Podlech, which was recently transferred to section Ornithopodium from section Dissitiflori, has no affinity with that section.