Phylogenetic positions of Thai members of Gymnema, Gymnemopsis and Sarcolobus (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae, Marsdenieae), and two new Sarcolobus species uncovered by morpho-molecular evidence.

The present study assesses the phylogenetic position of certain Thai members of Gymnema, Gymnemopsis, and Sarcolobus in relation to other known Marsdenieae species. Fifteen accessions newly sequenced from Thailand were added to the dataset of the homologous sequences of 125 accessions of Marsdenieae downloaded from GenBank. In our molecular phylogeny, almost all the delimited major clades and their relationships are largely congruent with those revealed in previous studies.

Specialized pollination by cecidomyiid flies and associated floral traits in Vincetoxicum sangyojarniae (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae).

Specialized pollination systems frequently match a particular set of floral characteristics. Vincetoxicum spp. (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) have disk-shaped flowers with open access to rewards and reproductive organs.

Molecular phylogeny of Vincetoxicum (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae) from Thailand and integrative taxonomy corroborating a new cryptic species within Vincetoxicum kerrii.

An updated phylogeny of the genus Vincetoxicum s.l. based on DNA sequences of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and three plastid markers is presented.

Pollinator and floral odor specificity among four synchronopatric species of Ceropegia (Apocynaceae) suggests ethological isolation that prevents reproductive interference.

Possession of flowers that trap fly pollinators is a conservative trait within the genus Ceropegia, in which pollination systems can be generalized or highly specialized. However, little is known about the role of plant-pollinator interactions in the maintenance of species boundaries. This study examined the degree of plant-pollinator specialization and identified the parameters responsible for specificity among four co-occurring Ceropegia species with overlapping flowering times.

The diversity and evolution of pollination systems in large plant clades: Apocynaceae as a case study.

Background And Aims: Large clades of angiosperms are often characterized by diverse interactions with pollinators, but how these pollination systems are structured phylogenetically and biogeographically is still uncertain for most families. Apocynaceae is a clade of >5300 species with a worldwide distribution. A database representing >10 % of species in the family was used to explore the diversity of pollinators and evolutionary shifts in pollination systems across major clades and regions.