Abstract
Phylogenetic relationships among species of Besseya (Scrophulariaceae) were examined using cladistic analysis of morphological characters. A single most parsimonious tree was discovered on which B. bullii, located in central North America, was placed as the sister species of the rest of the genus, making up taxa of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest. Among the species in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest group are B. rubra and B. wyomingensis, both of which have flowers that are characterized by extreme corolla diminution. Besseya rubra and B. wyomingensis did not form a monophyletic group on the most parsimonious cladogram. Topologies on which B. rubra and B. wyomingensis were placed as a monophyletic group required at least two character state changes more than the most parsimonious cladogram. Alternative scenarios for corolla evolution were possible based on the most parsimonious cladogram. One scenario indicated that the extreme corolla diminution characteristic of B. rubra and B. wy...
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