XVI International Botanical Congess

In Campanulaceae s. l. including Lobelioideae some types of seed coat morphology have been recognized. A new classification system of Lobelia using seed coat morphology as a major taxonomic character was proposed by Murata (1995) but the genus was supposed to be polyphyletic. To overview phylogeny of Lobelioideae, chromosome numbers, anther hairliness, geography and seed coat morphology are considered. Consequently, Lobelioideae is separated into eight groups apploximately, of which seven includes species of Lobelia of present circumscription. It clearly suggest that the genus Lobelia is a large polyphyletic group. A phylogenetic tree based on matK gene sequenses was also considered.