A phylogeny of apiaceae tribe Scandiceae: Evidence from nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer sequences

The evolutionary relationships among members of Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) tri be Scandiceae and representatives of all major lineages of Apioideae (inclu ding putatively allied Caucalideae) identified in earlier molecular studies were inferred from nucleotide sequence variation in the internal transcrib ed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of nuclear ribosomal DNA. In all, 134 acc essions representing 18 genera commonly treated in Scandiceae were analyzed . Phylogenies estimated using maximum parsimony and distance methods were g enerally similar and suggest that: (1) Scandiceae form a well-supported cla de, consisting of the genera Anthriscus, Athamanta (in part). Balansaea, Ch aeraphyllum, Conopodium. Geocaryum, Kozlovia, Krasnovia, Myrrhis, Myrrhoide s, Neoconopodium, Osmorhiza, Scandix Sphallerocarpus, and Tinguarra; (2) At hamanta is polyphyletic, with A. della-cellae allied with Daucus and A. mac edonica placed close to Pimpinella; and (3) Rhabdosciadium and Grammosciadi um End affinity with the Aegopodium group of umbellifers, whereas the place ment of the monotypic Molopospermum cannot be inferred because of its high sequence divergence. The genus Bubon has been restored with two new combina tions, B. macedonicum subsp. albanicum and B. macedonicum subsp. arachnoide um. Scandiceae arise within paraphyletic Caucalideae, the latter comprising two major lineages whose relationships to Scandiceae are not clear. Theref ore, a broad treatment of Scandiceae is proposed, with subtribes Scandicina e, Daucinae, and Torilidinae (the latter two representing the Daucus and To rilis subgroups, respectively, of recent molecular systematic investigation s).