MOLECULAR PHYLOGENY OF THE PAPILIONOIDEAE (FAMILY LEGUMINOSAE) - RBCLGENE-SEQUENCES VERSUS CHEMICAL TAXONOMY

Total DNA mras extracted from 67 species (30 general of the subfamily Papilionoideae (family Leguminosae). The rbcL gene was amplified by po lymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced directly. RbcL sequences w ere evaluated with character-state (maximum parsimony; PAUP) and dista nce methods (neighbour-joining; MEGA). Morphology-based classification s of tribes and subtribes are mostly congruent with rbcL phylogeny. Di fferences occur for members of the genus Sophora and for intratribal r elationships within the Genista/Cytisus complex: Sophora apl?ears in t wo clades; one clade with S. japonica at the base of the Papilionoidea e and a second more advanced group (with S. davidii, S. jaubertii, and S. flavescens) which represents a sister clade of the Thermopsideae. The Cytisus complex includes the genera Cytisus, Chamaecytisus, Calico tome and Spartocytisus but not Cytisophyllum which appears as a distin ct member of the Genista complex. Chamaespartium sagittale is very clo se to Genista supporting the view that it does not represent an indepe ndent genus but should be treated as Genista sagittalis. Close to Geni sta are Teline and Spartium, whereas Argyrolobium, Retama, Cytisophyll um, Ulex, Petteria, Adenocarpus, Chamaespartium tridentatum and Laburn um can be considered as ''outliers'' of the Genista-group sensu strict o. RbcL phylogeny is compared with profiles of alkaloids and other nat ural products. First results indicate that secondary metabolite profil es, if compared with morphology or rbcL sequences, are of limited valu e as a taxonomic marker.