Phylogenetic analysis ofEremosyne pectinata (Saxifragaceae s. l.) based onrbcL sequence data

Earlier analyses ofrbcL sequences clarified phylogenetic relationships of 16 of 17 subfamilies ofSaxifragaceae s. l. This study investigates the affinities of the monotypicEremosynoideae, the only subfamily ofSaxifragaceae s. l. not examined previously forrbcL sequence variation. Our analyses suggest thatEremosyne is only distantly related to core members ofSaxifragaceae s. l. (i.e.Saxifragoideae = Saxifragaceae s. str.); it is allied instead with members ofAsteridae. A particularly close relationship is indicated betweenEremosyne andEscallonia, another traditional member ofSaxifragaceae s. l. that also appears as part ofAsteridae. Inclusion ofEremosyne withinAsteridae is in agreement with embryology, as well as with 18S rDNA sequence data.