Phylogenetic position of monotypic genus Verbenoxylum (Verbenaceae) and new combination under Recordia

Abstract

In spite of the recent studies on the phylogeny of Verbenaceae, the position of the monotypic Verbenoxylum, endemic to the Atlantic rainforest in southeastern Brazil, remains unsolved. Molecular data were here analyzed to infer the phylogenetic placement of this genus; furthermore morphological data was studied in order to examine traits that support relationships among taxa. Sequences of the plastid regions of ndhF gene and trnL—trnF intergenic spacer were analyzed to conduct phylogenetic studies with maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. Morphological traits that had been traditionally used to distinguish tribes within Verbenaceae, as well as those employed to characterize Verbenoxylum, were examined. Verbenoxylum is nested within the tribe Duranteae, sister to Recordia, a monotypic genus endemic to Bolivia, a placement never reported before. The morphological traits analyzed prove not to be useful to distinguish tribes but are important at lower taxonomic levels. Based on the sister relationship and morphological similarities between the genera Verbenoxylum and Recordia, we propose the inclusion of Verbenoxylum reitzii into Recordia, forming the new combination Recordia reitzii.