Sb. Hoot et Pr. Crane, INTER-FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS IN THE RANUNCULIDAE BASED ON MOLECULAR SYSTEMATICS, Plant systematics and evolution, 1995, pp. 119-131
Nucleotide sequences from the rbcL and atpB genes (chloroplast DNA) an
d 18S nuclear ribosomal DNA provide important new data with which to t
est previous hypotheses of inter-familial relationships in the angiosp
erm subclass Ranunculidae. Preliminary conclusions based on cladistic
analysis of the combined molecular data sets for all three genes are b
roadly congruent with previous analyses based on rbcL data alone. The
genus Euptelea, which has been placed traditionally among the ''lower'
' Hamamelididae, is resolved as more closely related to ranunculids. P
apaverales (represented by Pteridophyllaceae and Fumariaceae including
Hypecoum) are strongly supported as a monophyletic group, and are res
olved as basal to all other ranunculids (''core'' ranunculids) plus Eu
ptelea. The monotypic genera Kingdonia and Circaeaster are placed as s
ister taxa and together are sister to Lardizabalaceae s.l. (including
Sargentodoxa). The Lardizabalaceae- Circaeaster-Kingdonia clade is the
sister taxon to Menispermaceae-Ranunculaceae-Berberidaceae. Menisperm
aceae is the sister taxon to Ranunculaceae and Berberidaceae.