cladistic analysis of Geranium subgen. Erodioidea (Picard) Yeo (Geraniaceae)

• Published in: Botanical journal of the Linnean Society Vol. 119; no. 3; pp. 195 - 212
• Main Authors: Nieto Feliner, G, Aedo, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.1995
• Subjects: biogeography; characteristics; Geranium; phylogeny; plant morphology; schizoendemics
• ISSN: 0024-4074; 1095-8339
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.1995.tb00735.x

Subgenus Erodioidea, comprising 19 species, is diagnosed exclusively by the type of fruit discharge and associated morphological characters, all of which are of widespread occurrence within the Geraniaceae. We have no evidence to suggest that the three included sections (Erodioidea, Aculeolata and Subacaulia) form a monophyletic group. Cladistic analysis of a data set containing 30 morphological characters has confirmed our doubts of monophyly of the subgenus by placing part of the outgroup within the ingroup. Subsequent analyses of the two included non‐monotypic sections, Erodioidea and Subacaulia, give different results. For both sections, the monophyly assumption is reasonably well‐supported by characters. However, while analysis of sect. Erodioidea results in an explicit hypothesis of relationships and a fully resolved cladogram, resolution within sect. Subacaulia is low. For analysis of the latter, seven different outgroups were used and, in each one, the successive approximations weighting procedure (available in the program Hennig 86) was followed to improve resolution. Despite this, lower nodes in the cladogram remained unresolved, and strict consensus trees of all the analyses resulted in only a few replicated subterminal clades. These results are discussed in connection with biogeographical data and with the hypothesis that representatives of sect. Subacaulia are schizoendemics.