The Phylogeny and Classification of the Zingiberales

the Zingiberales, a primarily tropical order of monocotyledons, most ү жа» а recognize eight families: Musaceae, Strelitziaceae, Lowiaceae, Heliconiaceae, Zingiberaceae, Costaceae, Cannaceae, and Marantaceae.e taxonomists still prefer the earlier classifications that included E TM an nd Heliconiaceae in Mere s.l., and Costaceae as a part of Zingiberaceae s.l.Attempts to reconstruct the phylogenetic history of the order have been made by Lane, Tomlinson, and Dahlgren & Rasmussen.An original analysis of the evolutionary relationships of the eight families of the Zingiberales based on the principles of phylogenetic systematics is presented here.The most parsimonious topology is (Musaceae (Strelitziaceae (Lowiaceae Meine dud ((Zingiberaceae, Costaceae) (Cannaceae, Marantaceae)).The cladogram rejects the recognition of Musaceae s.l. as an evolutionary group.A new phylogenetic classification based on the cladogram is proposed that recognizes eee families, two superfamilies, and five suborders within the Zingiberales.' I thank D. Stone, E Kirchoff, L. Andersson, and H. Kennedy for insightful comments on the Zingiberales, E