XVI International Botanical Congess

Convolvulaceae consist of 50-60 genera classified into ten tribes. In order to circumscribe the family and assess the relationships among its major lineages, a broader data set was constructed, containing representatives of all ten recognized tribes of Convolvulaceae plus representatives of putatively related families within Asteridae I. This is done by using two chloroplast regions: rbcL and trnL-trnF intron/spacer. Phylogenetic analyses strongly support the monophyly of Convolvulaceae including genus Cuscuta and circumscribe five well supported monophyletic tribes: Ipomoeae, Convolvuleae, Dichondreae, Hildebrandtieae and Cuscuteae. Nevertheless, the relationships within the family remain poorly resolved, mainly due to the limited resolving power of the rbcL gene at this taxonomic level.