| Abstract Detail
Systematics/Phytogeography / Taxonomie/ Section Godden, Grant T. [1], Prather, L. Alan [2]. Phylogenetic Relationships in Poliomintha and Related Genera in the Mentheae (Lamiaceae). Poliomintha is a genus comprising seven perennial species of aromatic shrubs with distributions in the arid regions of northeastern Mexico and southwestern United States. Within the Lamiaceae, Poliomintha is a member of subfamily Nepetoideae and tribe Mentheae, a group historically viewed as taxonomically difficult because of complex morphological interpretation. Numerous systematists applied comparative morphology to describe distinct groups in the Mentheae, but reported difficulty in assigning characters sufficiently important to distinguish genera. Consequently, the generic status of Poliomintha has been questioned multiple times throughout history and its species have been transferred to and from Poliomintha and closely related genera such as Hedeoma and Hesperozygis. We present a new molecular phylogeny for Poliomintha and closely allied genera based on three molecular markers: trnL-trnL-trnF and trnD-T from the chloroplast genome, and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The monophyly of Poliomintha is not supported and suggests the taxonomic importance of some morphological characters has been overestimated in delineating generic boundaries. Our phylogeny will provide a basis for revised taxonomic circumscription of Poliomintha and closely allied genera.
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1 - Michigan State University, Department of Plant Biology, 166 Plant Biology Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1312, USA
2 - Michigan State University Herbarium, Department of Plant Biology, 166 Plant Biology Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824-1312, USA
Keywords:
phylogenetics
Lamiaceae
Poliomintha
Hedeoma
systematics.
Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Sections
Session: 55
Location: 177/Law
Date: Wednesday, July 30th, 2008
Time: 10:45 AM
Number: 55011
Abstract ID:435 |
