A new phylogenetic analysis sheds new light on the relationships in the Calanthe alliance (Orchidaceae) in China.

The taxonomy of the Calanthe alliance (Epidendroideae, Orchidaceae), consisting of Calanthe, Cephalantheropsis, and Phaius, has been difficult for orchidologists to understand because of the presence of common morphological features. In this study, in addition to morphological and geographical analyses, maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses were performed based on nucleotide sequences of the nuclear internal transcribed spacer and cpDNA genes of 88 taxa representing the major clades of the Calanthe alliance in China. The results indicated that Cephalantheropsis is monophyletic, while both Phaius and Calanthe are polyphyletic.

Verhuellia is a segregate lineage in Piperaceae: more evidence from flower, fruit and pollen morphology, anatomy and development.

Background And Aims: The perianthless Piperales, i.e. Saururaceae and Piperaceae, have simple reduced flowers strikingly different from the other families of the order (e.