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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

calyx gland morphology, Polemoniaceae, electron microscopy, Navarrettia

College

Life Sciences

Department

Biology

Abstract

Many flowering plants possess small epidermal hairs and glands. The variation in these features has been used to infer relationships among plant groups. The Phlox family (Polemoniaceae) is one such group. Many species in this family are described as having “woolly or arachnose hairs.” These hairs are present in many taxa that are considered to be unrelated, however, and may not be structurally identical. Thus, it may be unrealistic to score these features the same in phylogenetic analyses. First, we need to accurately describe the variation that is present. The genus Gilia has historically been used as a sort of “other” category within Polemoniaceae. In the past few decades, researchers have attempted to make this genus a more natural group. The relationships of Gilia sect. Kelloggia, a group of three species (5 taxa including subspecies), are in dispute. Grant and Day (1998) placed these species in the genus Allophyllum on the basis of purported similarity in gland morphology. Porter and Johnson (2000) placed the group in the genus Navarrettia. Their findings were based primarily on DNA sequence evidence, but the authors also justified their conclusions on the basis of morphological similarities they believed to exist. Neither group presented convincing morphological evidence.

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