Phylogeny of epiphytic Huperzia (Lycopodiaceae): paleotropical and neotropical clades corroborated by rbcL sequences

The phylogenetic relationships of Lycopodiaceae, and specifically the relationships among epiphytic Huperzia , were investigated by means of a cladistic analysis using plastid rbcL gene sequences. Huperzia species are partitioned into neotropical and paleotropical clades, a result that is incongruent with traditional morphology based taxonomy. The rbcL data corroborate an earlier study based on tmL intron and tmL‐trnF spacer sequences. Together, these two molecular studies provide strong evidence that the diversification of epiphytic Huperzia is a comparatively recent phenomenon (Late Cretaceous‐Tertiary), and that there has been widespread morphological convergence in epiphytes throughout the tropics.

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