Pachyphragma and Gagria (Brassicaceae) revisited: Molecular data indicate close relationship to Thlaspi s. str.

Abstract

The systematic position of Pachyphragma macrophyllum (Brassicaceae) is unsettled. This species was either treated as a monotypic section of Thlaspi s.l. or was treated as a distinct genus. Gagria lobata apparently closely related to Pachyphragma, was also given generic rank. To unravel the phylogenetic relationships of Pachyphragma and Gagria, ITS sequence studies were conducted using as a reference representatives of the main lineages of Thlaspi s.l. The molecular data indicate that Gagria lobata and Pachyphragma macrophyllum are closely related to members of Thlaspi s.str., an assemblage of species well separated from the other Thlaspi s.l. lineages.