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Systematic Studies on Guttiferae Juss. and Hypericaceae Juss. of Peninsular Malaysia.
Thesis Abstract:
Twenty-eight species from four genera of Guttiferae and two genera of Hypericaceae from the 50ha plot of Pasoh Forest Reserve (PFR) Negeri Sembilan and several areas in Peninsular Malaysia were used to investigate the status and relationships within several genera in Guttiferae and the relationship between Guttiferae and Hypricaceae. Molecular and morphological data were used to determine the taxonomic status of these two families. Phylogenetic studies of Guttiferae and Hypricaceae were so far based on morphological data only. Molecular phylogenetic studies based on the trnL-trnF spacer of choloroplast DNA supported the latest classification that Guttiferae and Hypricaceae were distinct families. The molecular phylogeny also supported the morphological classification that all Mesua taxa in Peninsular Malaysia to be transferred back in to genus Kayea, except for Mesua ferrea. Genus Ploiarium should be excluded from Guttiferae. Genus Cratoxylum should be retained in Hypericaceae not as subfamily Hypericoidea in Guttiferae. But the molecular phylogeny failed to support the morphological classification that merges Calophyllum wallichianum var. wallichianum and C. wallichianum var. incrassatum as varieties of C. wallichianum. These two varieties should be transferred back as two different species (C. wallichianum and C. incrassatum).
In general, the sequence data of trnL-trnF spacer solved the taxonomic problems within Guttiferae, and between Guttiferae and Hypricaceae. Further analysis of other molecular markers from different genes or genomes should be carried out to ascertain the taxonomic status of these two families. A support of a careful morphological
comparison of these families is necessary to give a better picture of the classification of these families.