BOYD, AMY E. Warren Wilson College CPO 6074, PO Box 9000, Asheville NC 28815-9000. - Phylogenetic relationships and corolla size evolution among Macromeria (Boraginaceae).
Phylogenetic analysis of Macromeria based on 35 morphological
characters produced a single most parsimonious tree that supports the
monophyly of the genus. The phylogeny supports previous evaluations of
relationships among species, and the resulting clades often connect
sister taxa that are geographically proximate. Mapping of corolla size
onto the phylogeny indicates that floral size has changed many times
within the genus, and that the very large corolla size in southern
populations of Macromeria viridiflora has been derived from a
smaller-flowered ancestor.
Key words: Boraginaceae, Macromeria, morphology, phylogenetics