Molecular phylogeography and historical demography of a widespread herbaceous species from eastern North America, Podophyllum peltatum.

Premise: Glacial/interglacial cycles and topographic complexity are both considered to have shaped today's diverse phylogeographic patterns of taxa from unglaciated eastern North America (ENA). However, few studies have focused on the phylogeography and population dynamics of wide-ranging ENA herbaceous species occurring in forest understory habitat. We examined the phylogeographic pattern and evolutionary history of Podophyllum peltatum L.