Gt. Chandler et Md. Crisp, MORPHOMETRIC AND PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS OF THE DAVIESIA-ULICIFOLIA COMPLEX (FABACEAE, MIRBELIEAE), Plant systematics and evolution, 209(1-2), 1998, pp. 93-122
Daviesia ulicifolia is a widespread species that exhibits complex vari
ation throughout its range. Using ordination and cluster analysis of m
orphometric characters we resolved ten terminal taxa for phylogenetic
analysis. A data set including these and five closely related species
was coded for a combination of morphometric and qualitative characters
and analysed using parsimony. This revealed that D. ulicifolia is par
aphyletic by inclusion of D. acicularis, D. arenaria and D. microcarpa
. One terminal cluster is more similar to an outgroup species (D. arth
ropoda) than to D. ulicifolia and should be treated as a new species.
Given recent theoretical and empirical studies showing paraphyly to be
both expected and observed at species level, we propose that all exis
ting species in this group continue to be recognised taxonomically. We
suggest subdividing D. ulicifolia into several subspecies.