Araliaceae

Phylogeny, biogeography, and morphological evolution among and within the Neotropical and Asian clades of Schefflera (Araliaceae)

“…Again by extrapolation from the chronogram in Li & Wen (), their estimate for the crown age of the core group of Araliaceae (i.e., excluding the Hydrocotyle + Trachymene lineage) was approximately 107 Ma and the age of the entire family was >120 Ma, compared to a much younger mean minimum ages estimated for the same groups by Nicolas & Plunkett (), 65.0 Ma and 94.8 Ma, respectively. In comparing these results, and considering the age of the oldest reliable fossils of Araliaceae (from the Paleocene, 66 to 55 Ma; see Plunkett & al., ), we regard the estimates of Li & Wen () to be far too old. In assessing their dates, we note that they relied heavily on Paleopanax oregonensis as one of two calibration points.…”

“…in 40 genera) that includes many familiar plants, such as Panax spp. (the ginsengs), Hedera helix (English ivy), and Tetrapanax papyrifer (the source of rice paper), among others (Plunkett & al., ). It is best represented in the world's tropical forests, and is particularly species rich in the Pacific Islands, SE Asia, tropical South America, and Madagascar.…”

“…Phylogenetic studies have also yielded insights into relationships within genera such as Aralia (Wen & al., ; Wen, ), Brassaiopsis (Mitchell & Wen, ), Dendropanax (Li & Wen, ), Hedera (Valcárcel & al., ), Meryta (Tronchet & al., ), Panax (Wen & Zimmer, ; Lee & Wen, ), Plerandra (Plunkett & Lowry, ), Polyscias (Eibl & al., ; Plunkett & al., ; Plunkett & Lowry, ), Pseudopanax (Perrie & Shepherd, ), Raukaua (Mitchell & al., ), and Schefflera (Plunkett & al., ; Fiaschi & Plunkett, ; Li & Wen, ). These advances have benefited from and contributed to major improvements to the taxonomy of the family, including a recent treatment for The families and genera of vascular plants series (Plunkett & al., ), generic revisions and synopses (e.g., Shang, ; Wen, , , , ; Mitchell & al., ; Jebb, ; Shang & al., ; Lowry & Plunkett, ; Lowry & al., , ; Fiaschi & Plunkett, ), floristic treatments (e.g., Allan, ; Bamps, ,b; Philipson, ; Maguire & al., ; Smith, ; Lowry, , ; Marais, ; Xiang & Lowry, ; Cannon & Cannon, ; Lowry & Plunkett, ), regional generic treatments (Smith & Stone, ; Bernardi, , , ; Shang, ; Cox, ; Friedmann, ; Borchsenius, ), and descriptions of new species (e.g., Wen & Lowry, , ; Fiaschi, ; Fiaschi & Pirani, ; Fiaschi & Frodin, ; Lowry & Shang, ; Fiaschi & al., ; Callmander & al.,…”

“…Despite this, progress on the family's largest genus, Schefflera , has proceeded more slowly. According to recent tallies (e.g., Frodin & Govaerts, ; Plunkett & al., ), there are ~600 currently accepted species of Schefflera , representing roughly one‐third of the described diversity in Araliaceae, but one estimate that includes both described and undescribed species (Frodin & al., ) suggests that the genus may account for well over half of all species in the family. In addition, phylogenetic studies have shown that the genus comprises no fewer than five distinct clades, none of which are sister groups, but are instead scattered across the major lineages of Araliaceae (Plunkett & al., ).…”

Gradual vs. abrupt reduction of carpels in syncarpous gynoecia: A case study from Polyscias subg. Arthrophyllum (Araliaceae: Apiales)

“…By contrast, reduced gynoecia in Araliaceae are differently interpreted in the literature. In the framework of the current generic level concepts of this family (Lowry and Plunkett, 2010; Plunkett et al, in press; see also Plunkett and Lowry, 2010), all Araliaceae consistently possessing unilocular gynoecia with one fertile ovule belong to the species‐rich genus Polyscias , as circumscribed by Lowry and Plunkett (2010). Most species of Polyscias have two or more fertile carpels forming a plurilocular gynoecium, and those with one fertile carpel were previously placed in the genera Arthrophyllum (including Eremopanax ) and Cuphocarpus (e.g., Bernardi, 1966; Philipson, 1977, 1979).…”