XVI International Botanical Congess

Sequence variation of the internal transcribed spacer regions of the nuclear ribosomal repeat (ITS) and the trnL/trnF intergeneric spacer of the chloroplast genome was used to study the phylogeny of selected Mediterranean groups of the tribe Anthemideae at different taxonomic levels: (1) The subtribal treatment of the tribe proposed by Bremer& Humphries (1993) was found to comprise a numberof non-monophyletic groupings (i.e. subtribes Achileinae, Leucantheminae, Matricariinae). (2) Within the Achileinae, the generic relationships of Chamaemelum and its infrageneric taxonomy are discussed. (3) Molecular phylogencies of Anthemis (Anthemidinae), Anacyclus (Achilleinae), and Rhodanthemum (Leucantheminae) are presented, indicating departures from the taxonomies based on morphology. All data sets are sued to reconstruct the evolution of characters traditionally considered in the systematics of the tribe, e.g. achene anatomy, embryo sac development, karyology. Modes of speciation and occurrence of hybridisation are discussed in the groups studied as well as their consequences for phylogentic construction.