Molecular phylogenetics of Amorpha (Fabaceae): an evaluation of monophyly, species relationships, and polyploid origins

Amorpha L. (false indigos and lead plants) is a North American legume genus of 16 species of shrubs, which is most diverse in the southeastern United States and distinctive due to the reduction of the corolla to a single petal. Most species have limited distributions, but the tetraploid A. fruticosa species complex is widely distributed and its range overlaps those of all of the other species. Morphological variation in the genus is characterized by gradation of characters among species and it has been the subject of repeated taxonomic study due to the difficulty in delimiting species, especially among A. fruticosa and allies. This study presents the first phylogenetic and network analyses for evaluation of relationships amongst Amorpha species based on three non-coding plastome regions (trnD-trnT, trnH-psbA, petN-psbM) and two low-copy nuclear genes (CNGC5, minD). Plastid DNA analyses supported a monophyletic Amorpha with Parryella filifolia and Errazurizia rotundata as successive sister lineages; however, nuclear gene analyses supported the nesting of these two species and thus a paraphyletic Amorpha. Relationships among species of Amorpha were best resolved in the plastid DNA phylogeny and in most cases were concordant with expectations based on morphology. Relationships based on the nuclear gene phylogenies were less clear due to lack of informative variation (CNGC5) or conflict in the data set (minD). The origins of A. fruticosa were unclear, but the plastid phylogeny revealed that this species shares the same or similar plastid haplotype as other species in a geographic region. Putative recombination of diploid species' alleles was evident in the minD-like network. Phenotypic plasticity in combination with gene flow into this species from different diploids, or even tetraploids, across its range may account for the incredible morphological diversity of the A. fruticosa species complex. Putative progenitors for two other suspected allotetraploid species, A. confusa and A. crenulata, were identified as A. fruticosa and A. herbacea.