A PHYLOGENETIC STUDY OF THE PLANTAGINACEAE

In a study based on morphological, embryological and chemical data of the Plantaginaceae, within the subclass Sympetalae or Asteridae, the s uperorder Lamianae is shown to be monophyletic. However, it was nor po ssible to reconstruct the phylogeny within Lamianae or to find a siste r-group for the monophyletic Plantaginaceae - Hydrostachyaceae for the latter is rejected. Three or rarely four genera have previously been recognized within Plantaginaceae, but in both cases Plantago appears a s polyphyletic, which is considered unacceptable. Six clades are recog nized as subgenera within Plantago: subgen. Plantago (c. 131 species), subgen. Coronopus (c. 11 species), subgen. Littorella (three species) , subgen. Psyllium (c. 16 species), subgen. Bougueria (one species), a nd subgen. Albicans (51 species). Within P. subgen. Plantago, the para phyletic sect. Plantago (c. 42 species) is found in all parts of the w orld except South America, New Zealand, Australia, and New Guinea, whe re sect. Oliganthos and sect. Mesembryniae vicariate. It is not possib le to infer the phylogeny within sect. Plantago, for example between t he endemic species from distant Pacific Islands; their common ancestor might be a species that once had a very wide distribution. Keys to ge nera, subgenera, sections and series are given. Only one genus, Planta go L., is recognized. The following proposals are made in the Appendix : P. ser. Oliganthos Rahn, ser. nov.; P. ser. Carpophorae (Rahn) Rahn, stat. nov. (= sect. C.); P. ser. Microcalyx (Pilg.) Rahn, stat. nov. (= sect. M.); P. unibracteata Rahn, nom. nov. (= P. uniflora Hook.f. n on L.); P. subgen. Littorella (P.J. Bergius) Rahn, stat. nov. (= Litto rella P.J. Bergius); P. araucana Rahn, nom. nov. (= Littorella austral is Griseb. non Plantago australis Lam.); P. americana (Fernald) Rahn, comb. nov.(= Littorella a.); P. subgen. Bougueria (Decne.) Rahn, stat. nov. (= Bougueria Decne.); P. nubicola (Decne.) Rahn, comb. nov. (= B ougueria n. Decne.); P. subgen. Albicans Rahn, subgen. nov. Ten lectot ypes are selected. (C) 1996 The Linnean Society of London