Phylogenetic perspectives on diversification and character evolution in the species‐rich genus Erysimum (Erysimeae; Brassicaceae) based on a densely sampled ITS approach

Erysimum includes 150–350 species distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, with Eurasia being the centre of greatest diversity. It is well known for its taxonomic complexity as a result of overlapping morphological characters. We present the first densely sampled phylogenetic analysis of Erysimum using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) DNA sequences from c. 85% of the species (117 for the first time), representing the full range of morphological variation and geographical distribution. We used several approaches to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships, dating of diversification and patterns of evolution of morphological characters in the genus. Ancestral‐state reconstructions of four morphological diagnostic characters were performed using maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods. Our phylogenetic framework strongly supports the monophyly of Erysimum and recovers some well‐supported clades that are geographically, rather than morphologically, correlated. Our study confirms the placement of Erysimum in lineage I and reveals two Malcolmia spp. (M. maritima and M. orsiniana) as its sister taxa. The results suggest that the biennial duration and caespitose habit (vs. annual or perennial duration and herbaceous or woody habit) and large, yellow, glabrous (vs. small, non‐yellow, pubescent) petals are ancestral in Erysimum. The ancestral‐state reconstruction results show that annual vs. perennial and woody vs. herbaceous features have been independently derived several times. The dating analyses suggest an early radiation of Erysimum during the late Pliocene or early Pleistocene. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 175 , 497–522.