WILSON, CAROL A. Department of Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207. - A phylogenetic study of Iris subgenus Iris utilizing matK sequence and morphological data.
The genus Iris has more than 250 species in six subgenera.
Subgenus Iris is the largest subgenus with approximately 90
species that are especially well represented in Caucasia and the
Middle East. The most recent revision of Iris subgenus
Iris (Taylor, 1976) segregated taxa into five sections based on
presence or absence of an aril, nature of beard, number of
inflorescence bracts and rhizome characters. I have undertaken a
phylogenetic study of Iris subgenus Iris using matK sequence
and morphological data. Preliminary data does not support current
sectional divisions within the subgenus. Preliminary evidence based on
the inclusion of species from Iris subgenera Limniris,
Scoparis and Hermodactyloides also indicates that
Iris subgenus Iris may not be monophyletic.
Key words: Iris, matK