XVI International Botanical Congess

Based on the consensus of the 336 most parsimonious molecular trees, life-history and mating system characters are mapped, and a putative history of the genus Medicago L. (Fabaceae) is suggested. Based on theoretical predictions, morphological characters and classical hypotheses of the history of this genus, different assumptions about the ancestral state and different weighting schemes of evolution between the character states are made. In order to meet theoretical expectations, various weighting schemes favouring evolutions towards annuality and selfing are applied. Validity of such weighting schemes, relevance of such phylogenetic approach and implications on evolution of life-history traits are discussed.