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Issue: Vol. 756 No. 3: 15 May 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-05-15
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.756.3.1
Page range: 213-228
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Morphometric comparison at the infraspecific level: assessing the Vachellia caven (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger complex (Caesalpinioideae) in South America

Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Agronomía; Universidad de Las Américas; Sede Providencia; Manuel Montt 948; Santiago; Chile
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VELASCO NICOLÁS

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1777-3005

Laboratorio de Genética en Especies Leñosas; Departamento de Ecología; Genética y Evolución (DEGE); IEGEBA; CONICET; Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ; Department Physiological diversity; Permoserstraße 15; 04318 Leipzig; Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; Puschstrasse 4; 04103 Leipzig; Germany
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BAAN PATRICK

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6550-6549

Facultad de Ciencias Forestales y de la Conservación de la Naturaleza; Universidad de Chile; Santiago de Chile; Chile
Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB); Universidad de Chile; Santiago de Chile; Chile; Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas; Facultad de Ciencias; Universidad de Chile; Santiago; Chile
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BUSTAMANTE RAMIRO

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6441-7006

Conservation Ecology Group; Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences; University of Groningen; Groningen; the Netherlands
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SMIT CHRISTIAN

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4044-9473

Eudicots varieties Andean-ranges herbaria leaf Chile Argentina

Abstract

Across South America, the Andes mountains have influenced the distribution and morphology of Vachellia caven, a plant species with different climatic ranges on either side of the mountains. The eastern range exhibits six varieties, while the western population s morphology remains underexplored. This study aimed to assess morphological variations across these ranges, focusing on the potential divergence of western Andean populations from their eastern counterparts. We compared herbarium specimens of the six known eastern varieties with those of the western range, and to account for limitations related to the use of herbarium samples, we additionally examined newly collected specimens from both sides of the Andes. Additionally, a common garden experiment was conducted to compare its vegetative morphology growing under the same conditions. Our findings confirmed the distinctiveness of the varieties, although some identification challenges exist. Specifically, A. caven var. caven showed the closest affinity between the two ranges. Notably, while fruit traits were similar across ranges, leaf traits diverged significantly, whether in the field or in the common garden. This study showed for the first time an ongoing trait differentiation between the V. caven populations across the Andes and can be pivotal to transfer varieties name to the new nomenclature.

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How to Cite

Nicolás, V., Carolina, P., Patrick, B., Cristina, S.-A., Ramiro, B. & Christian, S. (2026) Morphometric comparison at the infraspecific level: assessing the Vachellia caven (Molina) Seigler & Ebinger complex (Caesalpinioideae) in South America. Phytotaxa 756 (3): 213–228. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.756.3.1