XVI International Botanical Congess

The Madeira and Selvagens Islands are two volcanic archipelagos situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. Recent studies using phylogenetic analyses of molecular data provided new insights on biogeography, dispersal routes, and evolutionary patterns: one includes an endemic genus (Isoplexis) to Madeira and the Canary Islands, and the other (Saxifraga) addressed the origin of the only two representatives of Saxifragaceae in Macaronesia. The woody genus Isoplexis was shown to be a recent derivative of continental herbaceous species of Digitalis. The study of the Madeiran Saxifraga provided molecular evidence for colonisation of Macaronesia from a likely Eurosiberian ancestor.