Phylogenetic analysis of the Patagonian Calceolaria polyrhiza complex based on ITS DNA sequences

COSACOV A.; SOSA V.; SÉRSIC A.N.; DE NOVA A.

Oaxaca, México

Congreso; XXV Meeting of the Willi Henning Society; 2006

The Willi Henning Society

  Calceolaria is a South and Central American plant genus of 270 species, traditionally classified into 24 sections. Four taxa are in the southern limit of distribution, in Patagonia: C. polyrhiza, C. lanceolata, C. prichardii and C. mendocina. Relationships among these species have not been studied in detail and furthermore, the position of C. mendocina is problematic. It has been placed either in Section Bellidifoliae or as part of the C. polyrhiza complex, which includes C. polyrhiza, C. lanceolata and C. prichardii, species traditionally placed in Section Kremastocheilos. To determine the position of C. mendocina and understand relationships of these taxa, a parsimony analysis of nuclear DNA ITS sequences that considered 87 taxa representative of almost all sections of Calceolaria was performed. Even though that the position of the studied taxa was not resolved, results show that C. mendocina is nested together with C. polyrhiza, C. prichardii and C. lanceolata. Consensus revealed a clade comprising C. prichardii, C. lanceolata and an Argentinean sample of C. polyrhiza while C. mendocina and the Chilean C. polyrhiza form a polytomy together in this clade. More characters are needed to resolve the position of this group of species, but undoubtedly C. mendocina should be placed as part of the Calceolaria polyrhiza complex.