THE GENUS ERNODEA (RUBIACEAE) IN THE CARIBBEAN BASIN .2. MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSES AND SYSTEMATICS

The genus Ernodea, consisting of erect or prostrate shrubs, has been t hought to consist of nine species, most of which are endemic to the Ba hamian Archipelago. The classification of the genus is difficult becau se the original species descriptions are incomplete and include charac ters of great plasticity. Additionally, reproductive and genetic studi es failed to provide evidence to support recognition of distinct speci es. We measured 30 floral and vegetative characters from samples repre senting all taxa and distributed across the entire range of the genus to delimit relationships at the specific level and to delineate morpho logical gaps within the genus. Phenetic analyses involving Principal C omponent Analysis and Canonical Discriminant Analysis provided consist ent separation of two main clusters; each cluster separated into two s ubclusters. Vegetative characters provided better discrimination than floral characters. In contrast to the current literature, this study r ecognizes four morphological species: E. cokeri, E. littoralis, E. tay lori and E. millspaughii. The morphological and ecological diversity o f Ernodea in these islands suggest that there has been rapid divergenc e associated with adaptive radiation. A key to the species with descri ptions and nomenclature is provided.