Relationships in the Apiales have been contentious throughout time, and have only recently gained some stability through molecular phylogenetic analysis. Past molecular work, utilizing the chloroplast markers rbcL and matK, identifies five distinct groups in the Apiales: the 'core' Apiaceae, the 'core' Araliaceae, the Pittosporaceae, the Mackinlaya group, and the Myodocarpus group. Recent work using the 26S rDNA region complements these previous analyses, with the same five groups being identified, strengthening support for this hypothesis. In particular, our analysis shows that the apioid subfamily Hydrocotyloideae is polyphyletic, which concurs with past analyses. The hydrocotyloid genera occur in four lineages, including the 'core' Apiaceae, but also in the 'core' Araliaceae, the Mackinlaya group, and the subfamily Saniculoideae (Apiaceae). As a result, there are evolutionary questions in the Apiales that need to be addressed, as this subfamily was originally thought to be a 'bridging group' from the 'primitive' Araliaceae to the 'advanced' Apiaceae. This will have profound effects on our interpretation of morphological evolution in the order.

Key words: 26S, Apiaceae, Apiales, Araliaceae, Hydrocotyloideae, Pittosporaceae