Bot. Rev. (2008) 74:132–165 DOI 10.1007/s12229-008-9003-y Molecular Phylogenetics and Biogeography of the Caribbean-Centered Croton Subgenus Moacroton (Euphorbiaceae s.s.) Benjamin W. van Ee1,4,5 & Paul E. Berry2 & Ricarda Riina2 & Jorge E. Gutiérrez Amaro3 1 Department of Botany, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 430 Lincoln Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA 2 Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan Herbarium, 3600 Varsity Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, USA 3 Jardín Botánico Nacional, Carretera del Rocío, Km 32, CP. 19230, Calabazar, Boyeros, Havana, Cuba 4 Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA 5 Author for Correspondence; e-mail:
[email protected] Published online: 29 April 2008 # The New York Botanical Garden 2008 Abstract Initial molecular phylogenetic studies established the monophylly of the large genus Croton (Euphorbiaceae s.s.) and suggested that the group originated in the New World. A denser and more targeted sampling of Croton species points to a South American origin for the genus. The nuclear and chloroplast genomes indicate a different rooting for the phylogeny of Croton. Although we favor the rooting indicated by the chloroplast data our conclusions are also consistent with the topology inferred from the nuclear data. The satellite genera Cubacroton and Moacroton are embedded within Croton. These two genera are synonimized into Croton and a new subgenus, Croton subgenus Moacroton, is circumscribed to include them and their allied Croton species. Croton subgenus Moacroton is morphologically characterized by a primarily lepidote indumentum, bifid or simple styles, and pistillate flowers with sepals that are connate at the base.