Aciphylla and related genera in New Zealand and Australia

Introduction
Endemic (or near endemic) New Zealand umbellifers form a fasinating groups from a biogeographic, phylogenetic and taxonomic viewpoint. Aciphylla and related genera (Gingidia, Scandia, Lignocarpa and Anisotome) form a monophyletic group that is centred on New Zealand with some representatives in W Australia and Tasmania. The relationships between these genera have formed the subject of a recent molecular study by Anthony Mitchell and Steve Wagstaff. The current study expands their ITS dataset within Aciphylla itself and looks at the species groups that have been proposed by John Dawson. Liz Radford is working up the ITS data generated by Jill Preston as her M.Sc. dissertation, and combining them with charaters from fruit anatomy, S.E.M. and gross morphology.

Author(s)
Liz Radford, Edinburgh, U.K. 
Mark Watson, Edinburgh, U.K. 
Jill Preston, Edinburgh, U.K. 

Scheduling
The M.Sc. thesis was completed in September 98 and the results are being written up as a paper for the New Zealand Journal of Botany. 

Publications arising from this work
None to date.