The Phylogeny of Linum and Linaceae Subfamily Linoideae, with Implications for Their Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution of Heterostyly

The genus Linum consists of over 180 species, the most famous being L. usitatissimum, the source of linen and linseed oil. The eight genera of Linaceae subf. Linoideae, of which Linum is the largest, exhibit a complex biogeographic distribution, inhabiting all continents except Antarctica. Numerous species in Linoideae are heterostylous, but the ancestral breeding system of the group has not been determined. We present phylogenetic analyses of 44 species representing all eight genera of subf. Linoideae and 37 species of Linum, with data from the chloroplast (ndhF, trnL-F, trnK3′ intron) and the nuclear ITS, with Hugonia (Linaceae subf. Hugonioideae) as outgroup. Sequences of rbcL from 48 sp…