XVI International Botanical Congess

Current sectional delimitation within the species-rich genus Carex is acknowledged to be artificial and requires revision. The objective of this study was to assess the monophyly of traditional sections within subgenus Carex using DNA sequence data. Non-coding regions of both nuclear (ITS) and chloroplast (trnL intron and trnL-trnF spacer) DNA were sequenced and used in phylogenetic analyses of more than 80 Carex species now classified in subgenus Carex. Results suggest that at least one traditional section may be monophyletic(Phacocystis) but most are paraphyletic or polyphyletic. Core groups within sections Atratae, Limosae, Hymenochlaenae, and Paniceae are monophyletic but at least two species in each section group with species from completely different sections. The clade formed by sections Vesicariae, Lupulinae and Paludosae does not include the similar sections Folliculatae or Squarrosae.