XVI International Botanical Congess

To determine the systematic position of Ateleia and Cyathostegia sequences were generated from the trnL intron on the chloroplast genome for all genera within the tribe Swartzieae an some in Sophoreae. When combined with a larger dataset of sequences of other basal papiloinoid genera generated in a collaborative project, and analysed cladistically, preliminary data shows Swartzieae and Sophoreae to be polyphyletic, which is consistent with other studies. It also indicates a well supported monophyletic clade at the base of and sister group to all other Papilionoideae, comprising the genera Swartzia, Bocoa, Ateleia and Cyathostegia. This provides a basis from which to explore the possibilities of redefining Swartzieae, or indeed recogizing a fourth subfamily within the Leguminosae.