A Phylogenetic Analysis of Tribes of the Asteraceae Based on Phytochemical Data

Abstract

This work describes the first phylogenetic analysis of the entire Asteraceae based only on chemical data. The data matrix used in this study was based on a large chemical database comprising ~400 skeletal types of terpenes, coumarins, flavonoids, benzofurans and polyacetylenes isolated from the family. Hypotheses about the relationships among tribes are discussed based on the chemical data and compared with relationships inferred from the morphological and macromolecular based classifications.