The family Pennantiaceae and its relationships to Apiales

The early evolution of the flowering plant order Apiales is discussed based on information from morphology and DNA sequences from four genes (ndhF, rbcL, atpB and matK). A model-based approach of analysis, Bayesian inference, is used to analyse the data and the results are compared with those from parsimony analysis. In particular, a new family of the order, the monogeneric Pennantiaceae from New Zealand and Australia, aids in the understanding of how the order originated. The ancestor of Apiales was probably a shrub or small tree with alternate, simple leaves, paniculate inflorescences, five-merous flowers with free petals, and drupes. (C) 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 141, 1-24.