ibclogo XVI International Botanical Congess


Abstract Number: 2012
Session = 7.2.5


EVOLUTION IN THE HEBE COMPLEX (SCROPHULARIACEAE: VERONICEAE)


M.J. Bayly, Museum of New Zealand, P.J. Garnock-Jones, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ, S.J. Wagstaff, Landcare Research, Lincoln, NZ


The monophyletic Hebe complex of genera is distributed from eastern Australia and New Guinea to the Falkland Islands, and includes Hebe, Chionohebe, Heliohebe, Parahebe, Derwentia and Detzneria. It is most speciose in the New Zealand region, and ITS sequences suggest a recent, rapid radiation there. Species groups show a diversity of morphological/ecological specialisations, and major features evolved in New Zealand include shrubby, arborescent, cupressoid and cushion habits, entire leaves, reduced inflorescences, tubular corollas, sexual dimorphism, hygrochastic capsule dehiscence, and extensive polyploidy and aneuploidy. Many species groups have restricted distributions, but nearly all occur on South Island. Ecological specialisations may play an important part in the reproductive isolation of lineages.


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