Phylogenetic Relationships of Tribe Crotalarieae (Fabaceae) Inferred from DNA Sequences and Morphology
Tribe Crotalarieae is a large and diverse group of papilionoid legumes that largely occur in Africa. A systematic study of generic relationships within the tribe was undertaken using nucleotide sequences from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA, the plastid
gene rbcL and morphological data. The Crotalarieae are supported strongly as monophyletic and sister to the tribe Genisteae. Lebeckia, Lotononis and Wiborgia are all paraphyletic in the molecular analyses and morphological data support the division of Lebeckia into
three more natural genera (one of which includes the monotypic North African Spartidium). Four major lineages were identified within the tribe based on sequence data: the "Cape" group, comprising Aspalathus, Lebeckia, Rafnia, Spartidium and Wiborgia; the Lotononis
group, comprising Lotononis pro parte, Pearsonia, Robynsiophyton, and Rothia; a group comprising Lotononis section Leptis, L. section Listia, and allies; and the Crotalaria group, comprising Bolusia, Crotalaria and Lotononis hirsuta
(Lotononis section Euchlora). Morphological analysis yields a similar topology, except that Lotononis is monophyletic if L. hirsuta were excluded. When the molecular and morphological data sets are combined, the same major clades are retrieved as in the molecular
analysis, with the notable exception that Lotononis and Lebeckia senso stricto are supported as monophyletic. The results from this study have important implications for the classification of the tribe Crotalarieae and present an important step towards a natural and phylogenetic
generic classification for the tribe.
Keywords: CROTALARIEAE; FABACEAE; GENISTOID LEGUMES; ITS; MORPHOLOGY; PHYLOGENY; RBCL
Document Type: Regular Paper
Publication date: 01 October 2008
- Systematic Botany is the scientific journal of the American Society of Plant Taxonomists and publishes four issues per year.
2011 Impact Factor: 1.517
2011 ISI Journal Citation Reports® Rankings: 87/190 - Plant Sciences
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