A CLADISTIC-ANALYSIS OF DIPSACACEAE (DIPSACALES)

A cladistic study of Dipsacaceae (Asteridae, Dipsacales) was undertaken, based mainly on morphological and palynological characters, obtained by investigations of herbarium material and from the literature. Outgroups included Morinaceae, Triplostegiaceae, and a subset of Valerianaceae. The consensus tree resulting from three equally parsimonious cladograms shows that Dipsacaceae are divided into two major clades, one with Dipsacus and Cephalaria, the other including the remaining genera. Within the latter clade, Knautia is the sister group of the rest of the taxa. This study is a reappraisal of Dipsacaceae phylogeny, and the results broadly match previous evidence.