Phylogenetic analyses reveal three new genera of the Campanulaceae

The genus Codonopsis has been controversial in its circumscription. In the strict sense, the genus consists of three subgenera, Codonopsis, Pseudocodonopsis, and Obconicicapsula. Recent molecular and palynological analyses suggest that the latter two subgenera and Cod. purpurea Wall. are separated from rest Codonopsis. In the present study, extensive observations were carried out in wild populations and on more than 800 specimens of subg. Pseudocodonopsis, subg. Obconicicapsula, and Cod. purpurea. Their chromosome numbers were counted for the first time. Recent palynological and molecular data were also analyzed and reevaluated. Our integrated phylogenetic analyses revealed that the three groups are distinct from the rest of Codonopsis. Furthermore, they are also distinct from each other, and cannot be circumscribed in a single genus. Therefore, three new genera are here proposed based on molecular phylogenetics, palynology, cytology, and external morphology. New combinations are made in the present article.