COSTELLO, ANNEMARIE1,2* and TIMOTHY J. MOTLEY2. 1Department of Biology, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, NY 10003; 2The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458. - Systematics of the Tetraplasandra group (Araliaceae) using molecular and morphological data.
Tetraplasandra is part of a generic complex that includes
Munroidedron, Reynoldsia, and Gastonia.
Phylogenetic relationships and generic delimitations of the
Tetraplasandra group have been historically problematic. Our
previous molecular analyses based on independent and combined ITS and
5S-NTS data sets revealed that the Hawaiian taxa of the
Tetraplasandra group (Tetraplasandra,
Munroidendron, and Reynoldsia sandwicensis) are
monophyletic and Reynoldsia is paraphyletic. In
Tetraplasandra, superior ovaries are derived from inferior
ovaries. The shift to superior ovaries in Tetraplasandra is
associated with a reduction in floral parts and may be related to a
change in pollination syndrome. A cladistic analysis of the
Tetraplasandra group was generated based on floral and fruit
morphology and was combined with the ITS and 5S-NTS data. Our results
suggest that plesiomorphic floral characters of the family, along with
superior ovaries, are derived characters within the
Tetraplasandra group.
Key words: Araliaceae, Hawaiian islands, molecular, morphology, superior ovaries, systematics