Phylogenetic position of Miliusa vidalii (Miliuseae, Annonaceae) inferred from chloroplast DNA and morphology

Abstract

A molecular phylogenetic study was conducted to determine the position of the Philippine endemic Miliusa vidalii in the tribe Miliuseae of family Annonaceae utilizing the combined cpDNA sequence data (trnL-F-matK-ndhF-psbA-trnH-ycf1). Bayesian inference and Maximum parsimony analyses revealed a robustly supported monophyletic Miliusa clade (PP=1.00; BS=93%). Miliusa vidalii nested within clade D (PP=1.00; BS=85%) shares similar features by having terminal inflorescences and a notably long pedicel. M. vidalii is resolved as sister to M. lanceolata, which shares morphological features such as length of pedicels, number of secondary veins, shape of leaf apex, and apiculate monocarp. This present study revealed that M. vidalii possesses a conspicuous glandular structure in the inner petals, a feature that is common only to species found in clade A. Therefore, increased taxon sampling is necessary to construct a stronger phylogenetic relationship within the genus.