ZEREGA, NYREE JC1,2* and TIMOTHY J MOTLEY2. 1New York University, Department of Biology, NY, NY 10003, USA.; 2The Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York 10458, USA.. - Generic limits of Artocarpus as indicated by molecular data.
The genus Artocarpus (Moraceae) comprises approximately 60 tree
species native to the tropical lowland forests of Southeast Asia.
Several species are utilized for their timber or their large, edible
syncarpous fruits, including the circumtropically cultivated
breadfruit, A. altilis, and jackfruit, A. heterophyllus.
The genus is divided into two subgenera based on leaf arrangement,
stipule and leaf anatomical characters, and whether the perianths of
the syncarpous fruits are partially (subgenus Artocarpus) or
entirely (subgenus Pseudojaca) connate. The closely allied
genus Prainea shares all the leaf anatomical and stipule
characters with subgenus Pseudojaca, but the perianths of its
multiple fruit are entirely distinct. This has led different
researchers to either treat Prainea as its own genus or as a
third subgenus within Artocarpus. Both nuclear and plastid DNA
sequence data were analyzed to create a phylogenetic hypothesis for
Artocarpus, Prainea and outgroup taxa. The phylogeny was
then used to test the monophyly of Artocarpus and the sections
within the genus. The findings have implications for the placement of
Prainea and the identification of breadfruit's closest wild
relatives.
Key words: Artocarpus, breadfruit, molecular phylogeny, Moraceae, Prainea, Southeast Asia