| Abstract: | The phylogenetie relationships of Triplostegia Wall. ex DC., comprising two species of
perennial herbs from southeastern Asia, have long been in dispute. This genus was placed in either
Dipsacaceae or Valerianaceae or in a family of its own, Triplostegiaceae. In this paper, the chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) trn L-F regions of 21 species in the Dipsacales s. l. (including Valerianaceae,
Dipsacaceae, Triplostegia, Morina, Caprifoliaceae s. l. and Adoxaceae) and an outgroup Panax
schin-seng Nees. were amplified and sequenced. The phylogenetic relationships among these 22 species were constructed based on trn L-F sequences. The results demonstrated that Valerianaceae,
Dipsacaceae, Triplostegia, Morina and four genera from the Caprifoliaceae s. l. form a monophyletic group with a strong support (100% bootstrap). Triplostegia, a sister group to Dipsacaceae, is
close enough to be placed in the Dipsacaceae as a subfamily. The traditional Caprifoliaceae s.l. are
polyphyletic, and relationships of Morina among the groups within Dipsacales s. l. are uncertain.
Key words Triplostegia; Caprifoliaceae s. l.; Morina; Dipsacales s. l.; trnL-F sequences; Sys-tematic position |
