Phylogeny

Reconstructions of the phylogenetic history of Begonia show African species to be basal, with Asian and American species nested within an African grade and Asian species supported as monophyletic. The route of migration for the genus through Asia is not yet clear, but one scenario for the origin of the highly diverse SE Asian Begonia flora is an ancestral lineage migrating across the Himalayan region. This appears to be the only suitable route, given the low altitude of the bulk of the Indian subcontinent.

This research focuses on the biodiversity and the evolutionary history of the world-wide medicinal plant genus, Dracaena, and the plant genus Pleomele in Hawaii. The debate concerning the relationship between Dracaena and Pleomele has continued to today where some authors continue to include Pleomele within Dracaena. Clear phylogenetic evidence to separate Pleomele has been lacking. Phylogenetic relationship among the 43 taxa within the Dracaena and Pleomele were reconstructed. DNA sequences from the chloroplast DNA intergenic spacer, trnL-trnF, and was analyzed.