Molecular Phylogeny of the “temperate Herbaceous Tribes” of Papilionoid Legumes: a Supertree Approach

Molecular phylogenies provide a framework to discuss relationships in the vast temperate herbaceous radiation of papilionoid legumes comprised of tribes Galegeae, Carmichaelieae, Cicereae, Hedysareae, Trifolieae, Vicieae, as well as among some members of the tropical tribe Millettieae (Callerya, Wisteria, and related genera). The taxa form a monophyletic group marked by the loss of the chloroplast DNA inverted repeat. The sister group to this clade includes Loteae, Coronilleae, and Robinieae. These two clades together comprise a clade we refer to as “Hologalegina”, the monophyly of which is strongly supported by multiple sources of molecular data. Hologalegina is the sister group to the clade comprising Millettieae and the other predominantly Old World tropical tribes Phaseoleae, Abreae, Desmodieae, Psoraleeae, and Indigofereae, contrasting with the traditional view that the largely temperate, herbaceous tribes that form Hologalegina are derived from within Millettieae.