Kron Kathleen A, Powell E Ann, Luteyn J L
Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27109-7325 USA;
Am J Bot. 2002 Feb;89(2):327-36. doi: 10.3732/ajb.89.2.327.
The blueberry tribe (Vaccinieae) is a large and morphologically diverse group that is widespread in the temperate and tropical zones of most continents. The greatest species diversity is in the tropics, where Vaccinieae are a major component of montane cloud forests. Generic limits are poorly understood, and many of the characters traditionally used fail to adequately distinguish among taxa. This study analyzed sequence data from the chloroplast matK gene and the nrITS region for 93 species of Vaccinieae, representing 28 genera, and 16 sections (of the ∼33 currently recognized) of Vaccinium. Results indicated that, in general, traditional generic circumscriptions were not corroborated, but several well-supported clades were found: an Andean clade (including at least some members of 18 of the 23 Neotropical genera sampled), a Meso-American/Caribbean clade, an East Malesian clade (including the Old World taxa Paphia and Dimorphanthera), an Agapetes clade comprised of some Asian Vaccinium and Agapetes, and a Bracteata-Oarianthe clade (Vaccinium spp.). This study is the first to address phylogenetic relationships among members of Vaccinieae on a worldwide basis and the results indicate that the large genus Vaccinium is not monophyletic, but likely represents a grade group out of which several more specialized clades evolved.
越橘族（Vaccinieae）是一个庞大且形态多样的类群，广泛分布于大多数大陆的温带和热带地区。物种多样性最高的地区是热带，越橘族是山地云雾森林的主要组成部分。属的界限尚不清楚，许多传统上使用的特征无法充分区分不同的分类单元。本研究分析了93种越橘族植物的叶绿体matK基因和nrITS区域的序列数据，这些植物代表了28个属以及越橘属（Vaccinium）约33个目前已被认可的组中的16个组。结果表明，总体而言，传统的属的划分并未得到证实，但发现了几个得到充分支持的分支：一个安第斯分支（包括所采样的23个新热带属中至少18个属的一些成员）、一个中美洲/加勒比分支、一个东马来分支（包括旧世界类群Paphia和Dimorphanthera）、一个由一些亚洲越橘属和树萝卜属组成的树萝卜分支，以及一个苞叶越橘 - 小花越橘分支（越橘属物种）。本研究首次在全球范围内探讨了越橘族成员之间的系统发育关系，结果表明，大属越橘属并非单系类群，而是可能代表了一个等级类群，从中演化出了几个更特化的分支。
