TRIBES AND GENERA OF THE CINCHONEAE COMPLEX (RUBIACEAE)

The phylogenetic relationships of taxa recently referred to the tribes Calycophylleae, Cinchoneae, and Hillieae were analyzed using cladistic methods. The analyses used morphological and micromorphological characters, and a selection of 60 species were used as terminal taxa. It was concluded that all three tribes are supported as monophyletic but must he altered somewhat in circumscription. The tribes Cinchoneae and Hillieae are sister groups, and these two in turn form the sister group of the Calycophylleae. The tribe Calycophylleae should comprise the genera Alseis, Calycophyllum, Capirona, Ferdinandusa, Macrocnemum, Wittmackanthus, and the new genus Semaphyllanthe L. Andersson here segregated from Calycophyllum. These genera are all supported as monophyletic, although the support is sometimes weak. The tribe Hillieae should comprise Balmea, Blepharidium, Cosmibuena, and Hillia. It was not tested whether or not these genera are monophyletic. The tribe Cinchoneae should comprise Cinchona, Joosia, Ladenbergia, Maguireocharis, Pimentelia, Remijia, Stilpnophyllum, and the new genus Cinchonopsis L. Andersson here erected for Cinchona amazonica. Dolicholobium occurs as a basal clade of the Cinchoneae but its position is unstable and it is possibly not related to this alliance at all. Cinchona is supported as monophyletic if C. amazonica and C. henleana are excluded, the latter one being transferred to Ladenbergia. Ladenbergia is supported as monophyletic in approximately the traditional sense. Remijia is supported as monophyletic if Cephalodendron is included. Joosia and Stilpnophyllum are supported as monophyletic, while the remaining genera are monotypic. Six new combinations are made: Semaphyllanthe intonsa (Steyerm.) L. Andersson, S. megistocaula (K. Krause) L. Andersson, S. merumensis (Steyerm.) L. Andersson, S. obovata (Ducke) L. Andersson, S. spectabilis (Steyerm.) L. Andersson, S. venezuelensis (Steyerm.) L. Andersson, and Cinchonopsis amazonica (Standley) L. Andersson.