Phylogeny of the Schisandraceae Based on cpDNA mat‐K and rpL16 Intron Data

Abstract

The chloroplast mat-K region and rpL16 intron region were sequenced for 14 species of Schisandraceae, representing both genera Kadsura Kaempf. ex Juss. and Schisandra Michx, to discuss the phylogeny of this family. Analyses were performed both in separate and combined sequence data sets (including the rbc-L sequence), with Illicium angustispealum A. C. Smith as the out-group. The results showed that the Schisandraceae are monophyletic. In all the analyses, Schisandra propinqua var. chinensis Oliva and Schisandra plena A. C. Smith were nested within Kadsura, which implies that the genera Kadsura and Schisandra are closely related. They might have originated from a common ancestor, but then evolved via different routes. The result inferred from the combined data showed a greater resolution within Schisandra than those from the two separate data sets. High bootstrap values supported the monophyly of most subgenera according to Law's system (1996). A combination of morphological, anatomical, and chemical analyses indicates that S. chinensis and S. rubriflora may be the primitive taxa in Schisandra.