Project Abstract
Senecioneae is one of the largest tribes in the Asteraceae (ca. 3,100 species and 155 genera), has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, and shows remarkable morphological and ecological diversity. Senecio is the largest genus with approximately 1,000 species, and its size and taxonomic complexity has been a significant obstacle to studies into the evolutionary history of the tribe itself. To better understand the evolutionary success of Senecioneae and similarly large plant groups, we are taking a molecular phylogenetics approach to study the evolutionary relationships and mode and tempo of diversification of the Senecioneae.