Phylogenetic relationships within Senna (Leguminosae, Cassiinae) based on three chloroplast DNA regions: patterns in the evolution of floral symmetry and extrafloral nectaries

Senna (Leguminosae) is a large, widespread genus that includes species with enantiostylous, asymmetric flowers and species with extrafloral nectaries. Clarification of phylogenetic relationships within Senna based on parsimony analyses of three chloroplast regions ( rpS16 , rpL16 , and matK ) provides new insights on the evolution of floral symmetry and extrafloral nectaries. Our results support the monophyly of only one ( Psilorhegma ) of the six currently recognized sections, while Chamaefistula , Peiranisia , and Senna are paraphyletic, and monotypic Astroites and Paradictyon are nested within two of the seven major clades identified by our molecular phylogeny. Two clades (I, VII) include only species with monosymmetric flowers, while the remaining clades (II–VI) contain species with asymmetric, enantiostylous flowers, in which either the gynoecium alone or, in addition, corolla and androecium variously contribute to the asymmetry. Our results further suggest that flowers were ancestrally monosymmetric with seven fertile stamens and three adaxial staminodes, switched to asymmetry later, and reverted to monosymmetry in clade VII. Fertility of all 10 stamens is a derived state, characterizing the Psilorhegma subclade. Extrafloral nectaries evolved once and constitute a synapomorphy for clades IV–VII (“EFN clade”). These nectaries may represent a key innovation in plant defense strategies that enabled Senna to undergo large‐scale diversification.