Phylogenetic analysis and relationships in hydrophyllaceae based on ndhF sequence data

An analysis of evolutionary relationships within the angiosperm family Hydrophyllaceae was completed. A parsimony search using DNA sequence data from the chloroplast gene ndhF from 65 accessions yielded 3,227 most parsimonious trees distributed over six tree islands. Hydrophyllaceae, excluding Hydrolea and Codon, are nested within a paraphyletic Boraginaceae sensu late. These "core" Hydrophyllaceae are restricted to the New World and have the derived feature of capsular fruits with parietal placentation and many small seeds. Two large clades can be recognized-a clade of annual and perennial herbs including Phacelia, tribe Hydrophylleae, and related genera, and a clade containing Nama and the woody, shrubby genera Eriodictyon, Turricula, and Wigandia. The second clade corresponds to the tribe Nameae sensu Gray, but the first has not been formally recognized. Evolutionary relationships based on ndhF are compared to current classification systems and inferences about evolution based on published morphological and anatomical studies.