Recircumscription of the Lecythidaceae

The phylogenetic relationships of the genera of Lecythidaceae and representatives of Scytopetalaceae were assessed using cladistic analysis of both molecular (rbcL and trnL sequences) and morphological data. The results show that the pantropical family Lecythidaceae is paraphyletic. Support was found for the monophyly of three of the four subfamilies: Lecythidoideae, Planchoniaideae, and Foetidioideae. The fourth subfamily, Napoleonaeoideae, was found to be paraphyletic, with members of the Scytoperalaceae being nested within it forming a strong clade with Asteranthos. Both families share a number of morphological features, including several distinct characters such as cortical bundles in the stem. The combined analysis produced three trees of 471 steps and consistency index CI = 0.71 and retention index RI = 0.70. Asteranthos and members of Scytoperalaceae should be treated as a subfamily of Lecythidaceae, while Napoleonaea and Crateranthus (the latter based solely on morphological features) should remain in the subfamily Napoleonaeoideae. The Lecythidaceae are recircumscribed, and Asteranthos and members of Scytopetalaceae are included in Scytopetaloideae. A formal taxonomic synopsis accommodating this new circumscription is presented.