Phylogeny of Taxaceae and Cephalotaxaceae Genera Inferred from Chloroplast matK Gene and Nuclear rDNA ITS Region

Abstract

Phylogeny of the Taxaceae genera and the monotypic family Cephalotaxaceae has been extraordinarily controversial. In this paper chloroplast matK genes and nuclear ITS sequences were determined for all six genera of the two families and representatives of other conifer families. Analysis using either the nonsynonymous sites or the deduced amino acid sequences of matK genes strongly indicates that taxad genera and Cephalotaxaceae are monophyletic, with the Taxodiaceae/Cupressaceae clade as their sister group. Cephalotaxus is basal to the taxad genera, among which two clades, Torreya/Amentotaxus and Taxus/Pseudotaxus/Austrotaxus, are resolved. They correspond to Janchen's two tribes, Torreyeae and Taxeae. In Taxeae, Austrotaxus is the first to branch off. Analyses of the nuclear ITS sequence data corroborated the topology of the matK gene tree. These results refute the views that Cephalotaxaceae has no alliance with Taxaceae and that Austrotaxus and Amentotaxus should be excluded from the Taxaceae. We estimated the divergence time between the Taxodiaceae/Cupressaceae and the Cephalotaxaceae/Taxaceae clades to be 192–230 Myr ago and the divergence time between taxads and Cephalotaxus to be 149–179 Myr ago. Soon after the latter divergence event, within 6–8 Myr, the two taxad tribes originated. In conclusion, our data do not support Florin's claim that taxads could be traced to Devonian psilophytes (359–395 Myr ago).