XVI International Botanical Congess

Existing ideas on relationships within Campanulaceae sensu stricto lack congruence, indicating a need for new data. We are characterizing chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) structural rearrangements and cpDNA gene sequences for one member from each of 17 genera in the family. Unlike most vascular plant cpDNAs, the Campanulaceae genomes are highly rearranged. The rearrangements, in parsimony analyses, support a well-resolved, robust phylogenetic hypothesis compatible with other data such as palynology and biogeography. We are currently gathering rbcL sequence data for the 17 taxa. In preliminary analyses, the rbcL data is congruent with the rearrangement data. We plan to complete the rbcL data set and possibly sequence a second chloroplast gene.