PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIP OF MEDICINALLY IMPORTANT CNIDIUM-OFFICINALEAND JAPANESE APIACEAE BASED ON RBCL SEQUENCES

Cnidium officinale Makino is important medicinally and economically, b ut its origin is uncertain. The phylogenetic relationship of C. offici nale is provided from the analyses based on the ribulose-1,5-bisphosph ate carboxylase/oxgenase gene (rbcL) sequences of 41 species which rep resent the 34 genera of Apiaceae, the four genera of Araliaceae, and o ne genus each of Pittosporaceae, Cornaceae, and Caprifoliaceae. The st rict consensus tree obtained supports a close relationship of C. offic inale to the Chinese members of Ligusticum, especially to L. chuanxion g. Additionally, the tree shows (1) polyphyly of the genus Ligusticum and (2) monophyly of the subfamily Apioideae. Within Apioideae, we rec ognized some groups in our phylogenetic tree. The grouping is discorda nt in several respects with the traditional tribal divisions based mai nly on fruit morphology.