[NPSBC] Erythronium systematics

[Daniel Mosquin]

If you are as intrigued by fawn-lilies as I am, you might be 
interested in the following recently-published paper:

John C. B. Clennett, Mark W. Chase. Félix Forest, Olivier Maurin, Paul 
Wilkin. 2012. Phylogenetic systematics of Erythronium (Liliaceae): 
morphological and molecular analyses. Botanical Journal of the Linnean 
Society 170(4):504-528

DOI: 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01302.x

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01302.x/abstract

My brief reading of the paper: it supports that there are three 
distinct groupings worldwide (w North America, e North America and 
Eurasia), but the origins of those geographical arrangements should 
revert to being "unresolved" -- a 2003 paper suggested a western North 
American origin for the genus, with a subsequent split into e North 
America & Asia.

Also, the relationships between species and groups of species in w 
North America are the most difficult to suss out, though E. revolutum 
(BC->Calif), E. oregonum (BC->Calif), E. quinaultense (WA) and E. 
elegans (OR) sort out together as a group (expected), as do E. 
grandiflorum (w North America), E. idahoense (WA, ID), and E. montanum 
(BC->OR) (also no surprise).




-- 
Daniel P.K. Mosquin
Research Manager | UBC Botanical Garden | UBC Biodiversity Collection 
| Faculty of Science

The University of British Columbia | Vancouver
6804 SW Marine Drive | Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z4
Phone 604 827 5773 | Fax 604 822 2016

daniel.mosquin at ubc.ca | @ubcgarden
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