XVI International Botanical Congess

The species of Lycianthes series Meizonodontae are perennial herbs distributed in Mexico and Central America. They are unusual in the genus Lycianthes in having large fruits, large seeds, and one-flowered inflorescences. A phylogeny based on molecular characters from the ITS region indicates that the basal member of the clade is L. peduncularis, a species with green fruits and copious sclerotic granules found on very alkaline soils in central and eastern Mexico. Colored fruits, large seedednessess, and a tolerance for volcanic soils are derived characters within the clade. Additional analyses based on morphological characters and a combination of morphological and molecular characters will be discussed as well.