A taxonomic revision of Thai Fernandoa Welw. ex Seem. (Bignoniaceae)

A taxonomic revision of Fernandoa Welw. ex Seem. (Bignoniaceae) in Thailand is presented. Two species, F.adenophylla (Wall. ex G. Don) Steenis and F.collignonii (Dop) Steenis, are enumerated with updated morphological descriptions, illustrations and a taxonomic identification key, together with notes on distributions, distribution maps, habitats and ecology, phenology, conservation assessments, etymology, vernacular names, uses, and specimens examined. The collection of Wallich Cat. 6502A from Myanmar, Ava at G [G00133642] is designated here as the lectotype of F.adenophylla in a second step lectotypification. F.collignonii has a conservation status of Endangered [EN]. The leaf, stem, and wood anatomy and pollen morphology of F.adenophylla are also reported in this study.

Around the world in 40 million years: Phylogeny and biogeography of Tecomeae (Bignoniaceae)

Intercontinental disjunct distributions can arise from vicariance, long distance dispersal, or both. Tecomeae (Bignoniaceae) are a nearly cosmopolitan clade of flowering plants providing us with an excellent opportunity to investigate global distribution patterns. While the tribe contains only about 57 species, it has achieved a distribution that is not only pantropical, but also extends into the temperate zones in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. This distribution is similar to the distribution of its sister group, a clade of about 750 spp. that includes most remaining taxa in Bignoniaceae. To infer temporal and spatial patterns of dispersal, we generated a phylogeny of Tecomeae by gathering sequence data from chloroplast and nuclear markers for 41 taxa. Fossil calibrations were used to determine divergence times, and ancestral states were reconstructed to infer its biogeographic history. We found support for a South American origin and a crown age of the tribe estimated at ca. 40 Ma. Two dispersal events seem to have happened during the Eocene-Oligocene, one from South America to the Old World, and another from South America to North America. Furthermore, two other dispersal events seem to have taken place during the Miocene, one from North America to Asia, and another from Australia to South America. We suggest that intercontinental dispersal via land bridges and island hopping, as well as sweepstakes of long distance dispersal from the Eocene to the present explain the global distribution of Tecomeae.