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Issue: Vol. 780 No. 1: 14 Oct. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-10-14
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.780.1.4
Page range: 61-72
Abstract views: 13
PDF downloaded: 6

Phylogeny of Virola (Myristicaceae) and a reassessment of its taxonomy

Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Leiden; The Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Leiden; The Netherlands; Quantitative Biodiversity Dynamics; Dept. of Biology; Utrecht University; Utrecht; The Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Leiden; The Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Leiden; The Netherlands
Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Leiden; The Netherlands
Virola Taxonomy Pylogeny Magnoliids Amazonia Bicuiba Virola bicuhyba plural inflorescences

Abstract

Evolutionary relationships within the genus Virola (Myristicaceae) were explored with a set of 36 species, 14 of which were represented by a type specimen and 20 by more than one specimen in the phylogeny. Among these 20 species, 12 were resolved as monophyletic, with strong support. The status of species that are treated both as accepted names and as synonyms in the taxonomic literature was evaluated under the light of the new evidence provided by the molecular data. Furthermore, the placing of the monotypic genus Bicuiba in synonymy under Virola, as the older V. bicuhyba, was supported in this study by molecular and by morphological evidence. Previous classifications of the genus based on morphological characters showed a lack of congruency with the present phylogeny. A preliminary analysis of the geographical distribution of the members of the clades suggested that Virola might have originated in lowland Amazonia and repeatedly colonized other biomes, a hypothesis to be tested in the future. Finally, based on the results of our phylogeny combined with the taxonomic literature, we presented a curated list of accepted species to be used by the scientific community.

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How to Cite

Oliveira, S.M.D., Steege, H.T., Hoff, C., Eurlings, M. & Bos, S.D. (2026) Phylogeny of Virola (Myristicaceae) and a reassessment of its taxonomy. Phytotaxa 780 (1): 61–72. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.780.1.4