The genus Acer, commonly known as maple, is a large plant lineage that comprises many economically and ecologically important species. However, because of low interspecific morphological variations and scarcity of molecular data, it is challenging to estimate the enigmatic phylogeny of Acer, limiting further utilization and conservation of maples. In this study, we generated complete plastomes of 17

Correction to: Plant Systematics and Evolution

Effective conservation of biodiversity should build on a strong basis of taxonomic and spatial distribution knowledge. The Carpathian Mountains, an iconic centre of biodiversity in temperate Europe, harbour a remarkable number of endemic vascular plants. Current knowledge on their taxonomic status, spatial distribution and genetic diversity is, however, incomplete. Research and conservation efforts

The Western Carpathians are traditionally recognized as one of the hotspots of temperate European biodiversity. The polyploid and apomictic group of Cotoneaster integerrimus s.l. is supposed to be particularly variable there, and this is also mirrored by taxonomy. We therefore examined the ploidal and reproductive pattern of C. integerrimus s.l. and its close relative Cotoneaster tomentosus in the

Species delimitation must overcome the inconsistency among the different delimitation criteria to maintain species as reliable units for biological research and conservation. The general lineage species (GLS) concept embraces different methods of species delimitation and thus provides an integrative framework for taxonomy. The Hydrocotyle stella complex contains six morphotypes that occur along mountain

Staminal glands are an important character in the taxonomy of several Malpighiaceae genera, such as Banisteriopsis, Byrsonima, Diplopterys, Peixotoa and Stigmaphyllon, but only recently few studies started to elucidate the anatomy and ecological functions of these glands. Most genera showing staminal glands are placed in the Stigmaphylloid clade, one of the ten major lineages recovered in recent phylogenies

Astraea is a genus with 13 species, widely distributed throughout Neotropics and especially diverse in Brazil. The genus is currently placed in Crotoneae as sister to Acidocroton. This work aimed to characterize the pollen of Astraea as a contribution to the taxonomy and to understand the evolution of pollen traits between Astraea and Acidocroton. Pollen grains of 12 species of Astraea and three of

Molecular studies have shown that Liparis s.l. is polyphyletic, with the epiphytic Liparis alliance well separated from the clade representing Liparis in its restricted sense and further forming a phylogenetically heterogeneous assemblage. The generic status of Cestichis, as the key member of the epiphytic Liparis alliance, remains contentious, and the relationships between Cestichis, Stichorkis and

Thurniaceae are positioned at the base of the cyperids, in Poales, as a sister group of Cyperaceae + Juncaceae. However, Rapateaceae + Mayacaceae have emerged related to these families in a recent phylogenetic study. Although Thurniaceae are morphologically similar to Juncaceae, studies are needed to evaluate characters with systematic value and that may help comprehend the reproductive biology in

This study presents an analysis of plastomes to assess relationships among the seven genera of tribe Myoporeae (Scrophulariaceae). Sampling included individuals from type species for all seven genera included in Myoporeae (Bontia, Calamphoreus, Diocirea, Eremophila, Glycocystis, Myoporum, Pentacoelium), one additional species of the large genus Eremophila, one representative of the sister tribe Leucophylleae

The genus Passiflora shows a large variation in chromosome numbers (2n = 12, 14, 18, 20, 22, 24, 36, 72) and in the distribution of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sites. Most species of the subgenus Passiflora, however, have n = 9 and two pairs of 35S rDNA sites, such as species of economic importance Passiflora edulis and Passiflora alata. Species of another clade from the same subgenus, which includes Passiflora

The Balkan Peninsula is renowned as a refugium of forest species, which were more widespread in the Tertiary. We here investigated three species from one of the largest genera of flowering plants, Euphorbia, which survived the Pleistocene glaciations in the Balkan Peninsula, but responded differently to Holocene warming. Using ITS sequences, multivariate morphometrics and relative genome size (RGS)

The pantropical Caesalpinia group includes 225 species in 27 monophyletic genera, and the group has undergone recent phylogenetic, taxonomic and biogeographic revisions. Previous works have reported a diverse pattern of heterochromatin distribution related to ecological niche/geographic distribution, and variation in genome size also correlated with environmental variables. In order to investigate

The hornwort Anthoceros agrestis is emerging as a model system for the study of symbiotic interactions and carbon fixation processes. It is an annual species with a remarkably small and compact genome. Single accessions of the plant have been shown to be related to the cosmopolitan perennial hornwort Anthoceros punctatus. We provide the first detailed insight into the evolutionary history of the two

The western Balkans represents an area of significant topographic and environmental heterogeneity, harbouring high species and intraspecific diversity. Similar genetic and distributional splits observed in unrelated species have suggested some common features in their glacial response and biogeographic history. Here, we studied the western Balkan endemic Alyssum austrodalmaticum with the aim to explore

In plants, soluble inorganic pyrophosphatase (PPA) play an indispensable role in inorganic pyrophosphate hydrolysis. However, the expression and the evolutionary history of PPA gene family remain unclear in pear and Rosaceae species. In this study, thirty-nine PPA genes were identified from five Rosaceae species including pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), apple (Malus domestica), peach (Prunus persica)

Cynoglossinae with ca. 200 spp. is one of the taxonomically most challenging subtribes of tribe Cynoglosseae with regard to generic delimitations. Here, we present a phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ITS and cpDNA trnL-F and rps16 sequences of 270 accessions including 102 newly sequenced ones, representing all currently recognized genera of Cynoglossinae to clarify relationships among Cynoglossum

Arnica montana (Asteraceae) is a herbaceous species with high interest for pharmaceutical industry due its anti-inflammatory properties. However, commercial collection in wild, habitat loss, abandonment of land, reforestation and the ongoing climate change threaten the conservation of the species throughout its natural distribution. Galicia (north-western Spain) is one of the main flower suppliers

Using microsatellites and cpDNA sequences, we have analyzed genetic diversity and structure and evaluated levels of introgression of 19 populations from the Centaurea alba complex from subsection Phalolepis and six taxa from the closely related subsections Centaurea and Willkommia from the Iberian Peninsula. Genetic differentiation among the different populations of the C. alba complex was lower than

Campanula fenestrellata subsp. fenestrellata and C. fenestrellata subsp. istriaca belong to the morphologically and phylogenetically well established amphi-Adriatic group Campanula ser. Garganicae. The two morphologically differentiated endemic taxa are distributed on the north-eastern Adriatic islands and coast. In order to study the relationships among C. fenestrellata s.l. populations and to gain

The Balkan Peninsula is one of the 250 centres for plant diversity identified in the World, and one of the major biodiversity hotspot plant areas in Europe. Balkan flora has been well studied at the morphological, phytogeographical and taxonomic levels, but a scarce attention had been paid to genome size. This work consists of two distinct parts. The first concerned the contribution for 2C values of

Astraea is a genus of tribe Crotoneae (Euphorbiaceae: Crotonoideae) widely distributed in the Neotropical region. Its highest diversity is found in eastern Brazil, and a few weedy species were most likely introduced and naturalized in the Paleotropics. Species of Astraea may be recognized by the usually deeply lobed leaves, lacking basilaminar or acropetiolar nectaries; spiciform inflorescence with

Salvia officinalis is a perennial species, native and endemic to the Western Balkans and the Apennine Peninsula. Due to its medicinal and aromatic properties, it is used in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. The main objectives of the study were to infer the genetic structure of S. officinalis populations in the northern and central parts of the eastern Adriatic coast, to detect the phylogeographical

Polyploidy and hybridization are key events in plant evolution. Due to these events, complexes of species can be formed. Dysploidy, a frequent chromosome change in holocentric organisms, may add some difficulties to species delimitation, especially in Cyperaceae. The Eleocharis montana complex is known for its members with overlapping morpho-anatomical features and unclear circumscription. To understand

Karyotype analyses in species of the family Marantaceae (550 species, 31 genera) were conducted to shed light on the reported strong variation of chromosome number and size and the occurrence of polyploidy. Special attention was paid to the alterations in basic chromosome numbers, karyotypes and ploidy levels. Taxon sampling covered the whole distribution area of Marantaceae in Africa, Asia and America

Fomitiporella has been phylogenetically studied in order to taxonomically treat it more naturally. In order to establish Fomitiporella s.s., studies on the holotype of F. umbrinella (the type species of Fomitiporella), and new specimens from the type locality, were carried out. Additionally, the holotype of Fuscoporella coruscans (the type species of Fuscoporella) was studied. A new morphological conceptual

We analyzed patterns of morphological differentiation of the Habenaria parviflora complex (Orchidaceae), through morphometric analyses of populations and morphotypes, aiming at evaluating current taxonomic proposals and at identifying discriminative characters for the delimitation of taxa. We performed multivariate and univariate morphometric analyses using 18 morphological characters of 675 individuals

Locally adapted ecotypes can constitute an important part of the biodiversity, especially in young floras with few endemic species. However, the origins, distinctness and conservation value of many ecotypes remain uncertain because genetic data are lacking or no common-garden study has been carried out. In the present study, we evaluated the distinctness and genetic structure of a phenotypically deviating

Polyploidy is one of the most important evolutionary processes in plants. In natural populations, polyploids usually emerge from unreduced gametes which either fuse with reduced ones, resulting in triploid offspring (triploid bridge), or with other unreduced gametes, resulting in tetraploid embryos. The frequencies of these two pathways, and male versus female gamete contributions, however, are largely

In this paper we document Fagaceae pollen from the Eocene of western Greenland. The pollen record suggests a remarkable diversity of the family in the early Cenozoic of Greenland. Extinct Fagaceae pollen types include Eotrigonobalanus, which extends at least back to the Paleocene, and two ancestral pollen types with affinities to the Eurasian Quercus Group Ilex and the western North American Quercus

This study includes 24 reports of chromosome counts in Tripleurospermum Sch. Bip. (20 taxa), Anthemis L. (1 species) and Matricaria L. (3 taxa) belonging to the tribe Anthemideae of the family Asteraceae from Turkey. Chromosome numbers of these taxa are 2n = 2x = 18, 3x = 27 and 4x = 36. Nine counts are new reports, one is not consistent with previous report, and the remainder confirm earlier information

Malagasy Dracaena (Ruscaceae) are divided into four species and 14 varieties, all of them showing a high level of morphological diversity and a putatively artefactual circumscription. In order to reveal relationships between those entangled entities, a span of Malagasy Dracaena were sampled and analyzed using cpDNA sequences and AFLP. The cpDNA analyses resolved three biogeographic clades that are