XVI International Botanical Congess
Core Malvales are traditionally subdivided into four families, Tiliaceae, Sterculiaceae, Bombacaceae and Malvaceae. However, the entities found in recent molecular and morphological studies contradict this subdivision, and especially Tiliaceae and Sterculiaceae were shown to be polyphyletic. As a consequence, the traditional, artificial subdivision should be replaced by recognition of nine natural units, which are ranked here as subfamilies of a single, expanded family Malvaceae. Focus of the presentation is on morphological characters that serve to circumscribe subfamilies Tilioideae, Helicteroideae, Brownlowioideae, Sterculioideae and Dombeyoideae, which now include most genera of former Tiliaceae and Sterculiaceae.