Abstract

Abstract The African-Malagasy genus Protorhus and the African-Malagasy species of Rhus s.l. have been suggested to be polyphyletic, but definitive evidence has been lacking. We investigated a clade of Anacardiaceae subfamily Anacardioideae in order to clarify evolutionary relationships of the African-Malagasy members of these two genera. Phylogenetic analysis of sequence data from cpDNA trnL–trnF, and nrDNA ETS and ITS provide strong statistical support for the 1) polyphyly of Protorhus; 2) monophyly of Malagasy Protorhus species; 3) polyphyly of Rhus section Baronia (Malagasy Rhus). These results support the need for new circumscriptions of these groups. Two new combinations are proposed, Searsia erosa and Searsia pendulina.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call