ИСТИНА

Seseli is one of the largest genera of the Umbelliferae, monophyly of which is under question, from both morphological and limited molecular data viewpoints. During last decades the tendency to broaden the genus was prevailed, and the species of Libanotis and Eriocycla have been included in it, as well as some umbels, previously treated in Ligusticum s.l. and its relatives. This can be explained by difficulties in delimitation of mentioned genera. We generated nrDNA ITS sequences for 36 species belonging to Seseli s.l. and added to already existing from GenBank. and found rather complicated distribution of them in the molecular tree, composed of wide range of taxa, traditionally regarded in Apieae, Peucedaneae, and even Smyrnieae tribes. The species of Eriocycla, usually treated as a separate genus, form the most deviated clade, together with S. afghanicum, S. delavayi, S. pelliotii, and S. korshinskyi, all from W and SW China, Himalaya, and E Middle Asia. Most probably, these species can be transferred to Eriocycla. Seseli peucedanoides and S. foliosum from Europe and W Asia belong to the next divergent clade, together with Selinum carvifolioum, Cnidium silaifolium, Cnidiocarpa alaica, i.e. the taxa of Foeniculinae informal group. The clade includes also Caucasian S. alpinum, the species of uncertain taxonomic position (Seseli, or Lomatocarum, or Carum). The majority of Seseli species studied form a poorly resolved clade, which includes, in particular, all species, previously treated as Libanotis members. Besides of them, the information from ITS structure does not allow to distinguish these genera species of Selineae clade. Ligusticum s.l., Cortiella, Cortia, Carlesia, Kitagawia, Stenocoelium, Haloselinum, Pilopleura, Ledebouriella, Saposhnikovia, and Trinia are in the same clade. The majority of Seseli species studied form a poorly resolved clade, which includes, in particular, all species, previously treated as Libanotis members. Besides of them, the species of Ligusticum s.l., Cortiella, Cortia, Carlesia, Kitagawia, Stenocoelium, Haloselinum, Pilopleura, Ledebouriella, Saposhnikovia, and Trinia are in the same clade. Information from ITS structure does not allow to distinguish these genera. The further examination of some taxonomic and phytogeographic fragments of broadly treated Seseli with usage of a larger set of molecular markers is needed to clarify relationships in Seseli and its putative relatives.