XVI International Botanical Congess
Bignonieae is the largest of the eight tribes traditionally ascribed to Bignoniaceae. The monophyly of the tribe is supported by the liana habit, fruit dehiscence, tendrils, and anomalous wood anatomy. Relationships among genera of Bignonieae are poorly known because few stable characters are available to evaluate the 47 genera. To elucidate phylogenetic relationships, we sequenced the cp trnL-trnF intergenic spacer and rpl16 intron in species representing the diversity of Bignonieae. Although sequence divergence was low (<5%), analyses supported the monophyly of Anemopaegma and Macfadyena, while providing weaker support for the monophyly of Cydista, Lundia, and Pleonotoma. Macfadyena and Melloa were well supported sister groups, but support for sister status between the morphologically similar Cydista and Clytostoma was weak.