Phylogenetic placement of DethawiaMeum,and Rivasmartinezia (Apioideae,Apiaceae): Evidence from nuclear and plastid DNA sequences

The flora of Western Europe is rich in endemic species of Apiaceae, many of which have been poorly investigated and whose phylogenetic relationships are poorly known. To investigate relationships among three endemic European genera (Dethawia, Meum, and Rivasmartinezia gen. nov.) and to ascertain their higher-level phylogenetic placements within the subfamily Apioideae, we examined nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS sequences and the plastid trnL-trnF region. Phylogenies estimated using parsimony and Bayesian inference reveal that (1) the historically known “Conioselinum chinense” Clade (Conioselinum chinense; C. scopulorum; Ligusticum canadense; L. porteri; Meum athamanticum; Mutellina purpurea; and Trochiscanthes nodiflora) comprise a strongly supported monophyletic group (100% BS); (2) the genera Dethawia and Meum comprise a strongly supported monophyletic group also included in the “Conioselinum chinense” Clade; and finally (3) a new genus (Rivasmartinezia) with one species (R. vazquezii) from the Northwestern of the Iberian Peninsula, and placed in the basal position in the “Conioselinum chinense” Clade, is described for the family Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae.