2005 Volume 56 Issue 2 Pages 141-161
Molecular phylogenetic analyses were performed using data sets derived from DNA sequences of the plastid genome (matK and trnK introns) and the nuclear genome (rDNA ITS) in an examination of relationships of all sections of Phalaenopsis and closely related genera. The following insights were provided: (1) The genera Lesliea and Nothodoritis are nested within Phalaenopsis. (2) Phalaenopsis subgenus Aphyllae and section Esmeralda, often treated as the independent genera Kingidium and Doritis respectively, are also nested within Phalaenopsis. (3) Two subgenera of Phalaenopsis, namely, Phalaenopsis and Parishianae, are not monophyletic. (4) Phalaenopsis sections Deliciosae, Stauroglottis, Amboinenses and Zebrinae are not monophyletic. (5) Inconsistencies between the plastid and nuclear lineages indicate a hybrid origin of Phalaenopsis minus and Phalaenopsis philippinensis. (6) In light of these findings, and to accommodate phylogenetic integrity and stability in nomenclature, we adopt a broadly defined Doritis characterized by the possession of four pollinia, an explicit character state.
