Oral Paper

         Systematics

Phylogenomics and seed morphology of Cleomaceae

Presenting Author
Theresa Saunders
Description
We present a revised phylogenetic hypothesis for the plant family Cleomaceae. Cleomaceae is composed of 27 genera and approximately 270 species occurring world-wide, making it difficult to sample comprehensively. Previous research has used morphology and limited genetic data to update various Cleomaceae lineages, but a stable family phylogeny has not been generated. We used herbarium vouchers and high throughput sequencing (Hyb-Seq) combined with the Angiosperms353 probe set to clarify phylogenetic relationships in Cleomaceae. We imaged seeds from a majority of the species in Cleomaceae using a Canon camera system with focus stacking functionality and microscopic objective lenses, resulting in images comparable to those generated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). In this talk, we present phylogenetic findings produced from approximately 380 specimens representing 26 genera and 236 species (~85% of the species in the family), with most samples coming from herbaria collections. Seed images revealed a wide range in variation between and within genera of Cleomaceae. We discuss inter- and intrageneric phylogenetic relationships and correlations with seed ornamentation and morphology.