Integrative Biology Journals

Plant Diversity ›› 2026, Vol. 48 ›› Issue (02): 307-319.DOI: 10.1016/j.pld.2026.02.003

• Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Phylogenomics unravels the early divergence and diversification in Bignoniaceae

Pengpeng Yana, Chang Guoa, Xingyong Cuia,b, Enze Lia, Yuran Baia, Manuel R. Roncal-Rabanalc, Gangmin Zhanga, Wenpan Donga   

  1. a. School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;
    b. State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China;
    c. Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, Escuela Académico Professional de Ingeniería Ambiental, Herbario Carlos Casanova Lenti, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Chacapampa s/n, Celendín 06225, Cajamarca, Peru
  • Received:2025-08-22 Revised:2026-02-02 Online:2026-05-19 Published:2026-03-25
  • Contact: Gangmin Zhang,E-mail:gary1967@bjfu.edu.cn;Wenpan Dong,E-mail:wpdong@bjfu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:
    This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (NO. ZZK202502) and Discipline Crossing Foundation of School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, China (BH2025-JX-01). The authors thank The Huntington, the DNA and tissue bank at Kew Gardens, the Herbario Carlos Casanova Lenti, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Stefan Burger, Jing Gao, Shi-Hao He for their help in providing leaf material of several taxa.

Phylogenomics unravels the early divergence and diversification in Bignoniaceae

Pengpeng Yana, Chang Guoa, Xingyong Cuia,b, Enze Lia, Yuran Baia, Manuel R. Roncal-Rabanalc, Gangmin Zhanga, Wenpan Donga   

  1. a. School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing 100083, China;
    b. State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China;
    c. Universidad Nacional de Cajamarca, Escuela Académico Professional de Ingeniería Ambiental, Herbario Carlos Casanova Lenti, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Chacapampa s/n, Celendín 06225, Cajamarca, Peru
  • 通讯作者: Gangmin Zhang,E-mail:gary1967@bjfu.edu.cn;Wenpan Dong,E-mail:wpdong@bjfu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    This study was supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China (NO. ZZK202502) and Discipline Crossing Foundation of School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, China (BH2025-JX-01). The authors thank The Huntington, the DNA and tissue bank at Kew Gardens, the Herbario Carlos Casanova Lenti, the Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Stefan Burger, Jing Gao, Shi-Hao He for their help in providing leaf material of several taxa.

Abstract: Bignoniaceae, a pantropical family comprising 79 genera and 901 species, exhibits remarkable morphological and ecological diversity, including lianas, shrubs, trees, and high-elevation herbs. Reconstructing the early evolutionary history of Bignoniaceae has been particularly challenging due to ancient hybridization/introgression and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). In this study, we re-evaluated the deep branching relationships within Bignoniaceae using phylogenomic data from 1275 single/low-copy nuclear genes and the Angiosperms353 dataset, complemented with chloroplast genomes and quantified the roles of hybridization, and ILS in shaping the family’s evolutionary history. Our results robustly resolved Bignoniaceae into ten major clades, with the Argylia clade sister to a clade containing Oroxyleae, the Delostoma clade, Catalpeae, Bignonieae, the Tabebuia alliance, and the Paleotropical clade, while the Delostoma clade and Catalpeae formed a monophyletic lineage. Divergence time estimation revealed a rapid diversification during the early Eocene, coinciding with the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Several lines of evidence indicate that the predominant factor underlying phylogenetic conflicts across deep nodes is ILS. Introgression/hybridization also contributed significantly, with at least three ancient events detected: between Tourrettieae and the Delostoma clade, between the Delostoma clade and Bignonieae, and a major introgression from the Argylia clade to the Oroxyleae-Delostoma-Catalpeae-Bignonieae-Tabebuia-Paleotropical clade. This study provides a robust phylogenetic foundation and comprehensive evolutionary synthesis for Bignoniaceae, shedding new light on its early diversification.

Key words: Bignoniaceae, Phylogeny, Incomplete lineage sorting, Gene flow, Divergence time, Early evolution

摘要: Bignoniaceae, a pantropical family comprising 79 genera and 901 species, exhibits remarkable morphological and ecological diversity, including lianas, shrubs, trees, and high-elevation herbs. Reconstructing the early evolutionary history of Bignoniaceae has been particularly challenging due to ancient hybridization/introgression and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). In this study, we re-evaluated the deep branching relationships within Bignoniaceae using phylogenomic data from 1275 single/low-copy nuclear genes and the Angiosperms353 dataset, complemented with chloroplast genomes and quantified the roles of hybridization, and ILS in shaping the family’s evolutionary history. Our results robustly resolved Bignoniaceae into ten major clades, with the Argylia clade sister to a clade containing Oroxyleae, the Delostoma clade, Catalpeae, Bignonieae, the Tabebuia alliance, and the Paleotropical clade, while the Delostoma clade and Catalpeae formed a monophyletic lineage. Divergence time estimation revealed a rapid diversification during the early Eocene, coinciding with the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. Several lines of evidence indicate that the predominant factor underlying phylogenetic conflicts across deep nodes is ILS. Introgression/hybridization also contributed significantly, with at least three ancient events detected: between Tourrettieae and the Delostoma clade, between the Delostoma clade and Bignonieae, and a major introgression from the Argylia clade to the Oroxyleae-Delostoma-Catalpeae-Bignonieae-Tabebuia-Paleotropical clade. This study provides a robust phylogenetic foundation and comprehensive evolutionary synthesis for Bignoniaceae, shedding new light on its early diversification.

关键词: Bignoniaceae, Phylogeny, Incomplete lineage sorting, Gene flow, Divergence time, Early evolution