FLORISTICS AND PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS UNNECESSARILY DISJUNCT: THE CASE OF ARISTOLOCHIA, EUGLYPHA Y HOLOSTYLIS (ARISTOLOCHIACEAE)

Abstract

The recently published monograph of Aristolochiaceae for the Flora of Paraguay revives the traditional delimitation of Aristolochia with respect to the monotypic genera Euglypha y Holostylis. The presence of both morphological and molecular synapomorphies of Aristolochia in Euglypha and Holostylis, as well as the reevaluation of the diagnostic and differential traits of Euglypha and Holostylis, which are shown to be ambiguous, homoplasic, clinal or present only in late floral semaphoronts, provide conclusive evidence to subordinate E. rojasiana y H. reniformis in Aristolochia. The reconognition of Aristolochia, such as that followed in the mentioned monograph, implies the paraphyly of this taxon, which stands against the logic principles of the phylogenetic systematics. The morphological and molecular-based phylogenetic analyses of the Aristolochiaceae, which provide sufficient evidence to merge Euglypha and Holostylis within Aristolochia, as the first two are nested in the clade formed by the subgenera Aristolochia + Pararistolochia, and more precisely within the New World subgenus Aristolochia sect. Gymnolobus.