PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE CHRYSOBALANACEAE INFERRED FROM CHLOROPLAST, NUCLEAR, AND MORPHOLOGICAL DATA

The Chrysobalanaceae, a pantropical family containing about 525 species, has often been nested within the Rosaceae despite evidence for recognizing it as a separate family. In 1963, Prance clearly placed Chrysobalanaceae as a distinct family containing 17 genera. However, the family has been linked with various other families and orders and recently has been placed within the order Malpighiales. Because of these discrepancies, a phylogenetic analysis for the family was launched to examine its monophyly and to investigate the relationships within the Chrysobalanaceae as well as its relationships to other groups. Comparative phylogenetic analyses were performed using morphological, rbcL, and ITS sequences. The data sets were analyzed independently and in combination. After exploration for hard incongruencies among the independent data sets, a simultaneous analysis of all the data was completed. The combined analysis resulted in a resolved, supported topology with several unambiguous morphological synapomorphies. The resulting topology indicated that the family is a well-defined monophyletic group that is sister to Euphronia Mart. & Zucc. (Euphroniaceae). The present tribal groupings, however, are paraphyletic.