PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSES OF TRIBES TRIFOLIEAE AND VICIEAE, BASED ON SEQUENCES OF THE PLASTID GENE matK (PAPILIONOIDEAE: LEGUMINOSAE)

Tribes Trifolieae and Vicieae along with Cicereae and Galega (Galegeae) form a monophyletic group that has been designated informally as the “vicioid clade”. There is good support from analyses of various molecular data for the clade itself, but relationships of genera within the clade are not fully understood nor has monophyly of the tribes and genera been fully tested. Sequences of the plastid gene matK from 84 members of the vicioid clade were analysed using maximum parsimony. Results presented here provide strong support for a monophyletic Vicieae that includes Vicia, Lathyrus, Pisum and Lens. Vicia is paraphyletic with regard to other genera of Vicieae, but there is support for monophyletic groups of species of Vicia. Pisum is sister to a monophyletic Lathyrus, and Lens is sister to a small group of species of Vicia. A monophyletic Trifolium is sister to the Vicieae, and together they form a moderately supported monophyletic group. Similarly, a monophyletic Ononis is sister to genera of tribe Trifolieae including Medicago, Trigonella and Melilotus. Medicago is monophyletic and includes previously transferred species from Trigonella. Medicago and Trigonella are sister taxa, but Melilotus is nested within Trigonella. Morphological and biochemical features are considered as they support particular groups within the vicioid clade.