Congruence of a phylogeny of Cordiaceae (Boraginales) inferred from ITS1 sequence data with morphology, ecology,and biogeography

The phylogenetic relationships of Cordiaceae were investigated using ITSI sequences from 50 ingroup taxa and three outgroup taxa. Molecular analyses Suggest that Coldenia procumbens, traditionally placed in Ehretiaceae. is more closely allied to Cordiaceae and is sister to their core representatives. Cordiaceae segregate into four major monophyletic assemblages, more or less corresponding to established taxonomic units as previously inferred from morphology ecology. and biogeography. (1) Varronia (currently recognized as Cordia sect. Varronia) is a well-differentiated taxon and has a sister-group relationship to the other three clades (Cordia s. str.). The (2) Collococcus clade comprises the New World species of Cordia sect. Myxa (excluding Cordia dentata and Cordia lutea), all of Cordia sect. Superbiflorae, and Cordia varronifolia (from Cordia sect. Rhabdocalx). The (3) Myxa clade includes all of the Old World species of Cordia sect. Myxa and the New World species Cordia dentata and Cordia lutea. The (4) Sebesteria clade includes Cordia sects. Cordia and Gerascanthus, three species of Cordia sect. Rhabdocalyx, and Auxemma, Patagonula, and Saccellium. Pollen morphology and wood anatomy lend additional support for the close relationship of Auxemma, Patagonula, and Saccellium with Cordia sebestena and its allies. Thus, Auxemma, Patagonida, and Saccellium. are no longer tenable as separate taxa and should be reduced Under Cordia. A set of ancestral characters (including apomorphies and plesiomorphies) is reconstructed for Cordiaceae based Oil the phylogenetic hvpotheses as inferred from the congruence between morphological and ITSI data.