Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships among Chilean species of Drimys as well as D. granadensis from Central America and D. angustifolia from Brazil were reconstructed using internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear ribosomal DNA and a parsimony analysis. Our results at the family level were congruent with previous phylogenetic hypotheses. Molecular data indicate that the Juan Fernandez Island endemic D. confertifolia diverged early in the evolution of the genus, and it is not closely related to the continental species D. winteri, as might be expected on the basis of morphology and biogeography. The ITS phylogeny also provides general support for a recent distribution of species on the western side of the Andes Mountains; the only exception is D. andina, which may represent an early divergence that occurred just before the Quaternary. The only species examined from east of the Andes, D. angustifolia, also represents an early divergence in the genus, which is in agreement with the ancient pollen record in Argentinean Patagonia and the lack of Tertiary records in Chile.