Phylogeny of Hibiscus sect. Muenchhusia (Malvaceae) Based on Chloroplast rpL16 and ndhF, and Nuclear ITS and GBSSI Sequences

Hibiscus section Muenchhusia is a North American taxon with five species as recognized in the most recent taxonomic revision: H. coccineus, H. dasycalyx, H. grandiflorus, H. laevis, and H. moscheutos. To investigate the monophyly of Hibiscus section Muenchhusia, its relationship to other Hibiscus species, and the phylogenetic relationships among its species, DNA sequence data were obtained. To investigate the placement of section Muenchhusia within Hibiscus, chloroplast ndhF gene and rpL16 intron sequences were generated and added to a recently published dataset. To investigate relationships within section Muenchhusia three DNA sequence data sets were generated: a non-coding region of the chloroplast genome (rpL16 intron), nuclear ribosomal ITS, and a nuclear gene encoding granule-bound starch synthase (GBSSI). Analyses of ndhF + rpL16 data indicated that section Muenchhusia is indeed monophyletic and is embedded in a clade that includes representatives of Hibiscus section Trionum sensu lato plus...