XVI International Botanical Congess

Phylogenetic analysis was performed on a nrDNA ITS sequence matrix of 26 representative species of Crinum, the only pantropical genus of Amaryllidaceae, with Ammocharis and Cybistetes used as outgroups. Crinum baumii, an African actinomorphic species, is resolved as sister to the rest. Three main clades are resolved within the rest of the genus, each with African species at their base. The American species are a monophyletic group nested within a primarily north African clade. Two entries of the genus into Australia are suggested, an early migration from Africa (C. flaccidum) and a later entry through tropical Asia (C. pedunculatum). The Asian species form two clades, one comprising the species with less well-developed bulbs (e.g., C. asiaticum) and an East Asian clade. Both are part of a larger clade that includes a monophyletic Madagascarene group.