Evolutionary patterns in the Torilidinae inferred from ITS sequences

Abstract

Evolutionary patterns of selected characters among 17 representatives of subtribe Torilidinae of family Apiaceae were investigated by comparative sequencing of the two internal transcribed spacers of the 18s‐26s nuclear ribosomal DNA repeat. Distribution of several palynological, cytological, morphological, and cotyledon characters reveals that many of these features are highly homoplastic. Base chromosome number of x=6 is not suggestive of monophyly of the genus Torilis. Features derived from secondary (vallecular) appendages of hits do not seem to be usekl characters for delimiting generic boundaries. Bristles on the primary ridges of fruits are ancestral within the subtribe; curved bristles and spines emerged. Characters of cotyledons and pollen grains support the generic relationships between Lisaea and Turgenia.