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Issue: Vol. 766 No. 3: 14 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-14
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.766.3.4
Page range: 257-270
Abstract views: 61
PDF downloaded: 6

Phylogenetic relationships of Indian Hygrophila (Acanthaceae) based on nuclear and plastid DNA sequences

KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences; Kozhikode-673014; Kerala; India
KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences; Kozhikode-673014; Kerala; India
Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences; Guru Nanak Dev University; Punjab; India
Mansarovar Global University; Bilkisganj; Sehore-466111; Madhya Pradesh; India
Plant Biodiversity Research; Department of Life Science Systems; Technical University of Munich (TUM); Emil-Ramann Str. 2; D-85354; Freising; Germany
Eudicots Brillantaisia India Hygrophila phylogeny ITS rbcL

Abstract

Hygrophila (Acanthaceae) is a group of herbaceous perennials of aquatic habitats mainly distributed in the Old and New world Tropics and Subtropics. There are currently 77 accepted species, but estimates range from 80 to 100 species in the world, with a centre of diversity in South/Southeast Asia. For a comprehensive molecular study of the Indian Hygrophila taxa, DNA was extracted from 12 of the currently accepted 16 Indian species, yielding a total of 94 sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and the rbcL plastid gene. Sequences of 14 additional species were retrieved from GenBank for a total of 13 of the 16 Indian species. Phylogenetic relationships were then investigated with maximum likelihood (ML) analyses. The results reveal that the genus Brillantaisia is deeply nested within Indian Hygrophila, which is therefore paraphyletic.

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How to Cite

Jaseela, V.T., Pradeep, N., Dwivedi, M.D., Pandey, A.K. & Schaefer, H. (2026) Phylogenetic relationships of Indian Hygrophila (Acanthaceae) based on nuclear and plastid DNA sequences. Phytotaxa 766 (3): 257–270. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.766.3.4