Phylogenetic relationships in Anemone (Ranunculaceae) based on DNA restriction site variation and morphology

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships of 36 species of Anemone (Ranunculaceae) and seven related genera were explored with a combination of three independent data sets: chloroplast DNA restriction sites, nuclear ribosomal DNA restriction fragments, and morphological/ cytological variation, using Clematis as the outgroup. In the chloroplast DNA work, 245 phylogenetically informative restriction sites were identified using ten restriction enzymes. The same ten enzymes were used to produce the nuclear ribosomal DNA restriction fragments and resulted in 16 informative characters. The conventional data set consisted of 27 characters for the same taxa used in the molecular work. The phylogeny derived from the combined data sets demonstrates that few sections of Anemone as established by previous classifications are monophyletic and that Pulsatilla, Hepatica, and Knowltonia should be subsumed within Anemone. Several unexpected relationships within the Anemone complex are discussed and hypotheses are offered to explain the interesting geographic distributions found in the genus.