Origin and age of Australian Chenopodiaceae

Abstract We studied the age, origins, and possible routes of colonization of the Australian Chenopodiaceae. Using a previously published rbc L phylogeny of the Amaranthaceae–Chenopodiaceae alliance (Kadereit et al. 2003) and new ITS phylogenies of the Camphorosmeae and Salicornieae, we conclude that Australia has been reached in at least nine independent colonization events: four in the Chenopodioideae, two in the Salicornieae, and one each in the Camphorosmeae, Suaedeae, and Salsoleae. Where feasible, we used molecular clock estimates to date the ages of the respective lineages. The two oldest lineages both belong to the Chenopodioideae ( Scleroblitum and Chenopodium sect. Orthosporum / Dy…