The relationships of Heberdenia bahamensis and H. penduliflora (Myrsinaceae)

A morphological and anatomical investigation is presented of the two species of Heberdenia, H. bahamensis (Macaronesia) and H. penduliflora (Mexico). A cladistic analysis including 27 taxa of the Myrsinaceae and using Jacquinia (Theophrastaceae) and Manilkara (Sapotaceae) as outgroup was performed to provide a hypothesis of the relationships of the two species of Heberdenia. It was concluded that H. bahamensis and H. penduliflora are not more closely related to each other than either is to many other species of the Myrsinaceae, and that they should not be referred to the same genus. Heberdenia bahamensis appears to be most closely related to the Old World genera Pleiomeris, Embelia , and Grenacheria , whereas H. penduliflora is nested within Ardisia s. L , possibly being most closely related to the segregate genus Gentlea. It is suggested that H. penduliflora is probably best referred to a genus of its own.