Phylogenetic relationships of Tilia (Malvaceae) inferred from multiple nuclear loci and plastid genomes

Premise of research. Tilia is a Eurasian-eastern North American disjunct plant genus with great economic and ecological importance. However, a robust phylogeny has not been established with a comprehensive taxon sampling and a large amount of data.
Methodology. We obtained DNA sequences of plastomes and multiple nuclear loci using the anchored hybrid enrichment technique and next generation sequencing technology. Orthologous nuclear loci were inferred using tree-based methods. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using maximum parsimony, Bayesian, and coalescence-based species tree methods. Parentages of polyploids were inferred from the nuclear and plastid phylogenies.
Pivotal results. Craigia yunnanensis is sister to Tilia, within which T. endochrysea endemic to southern China is the earliest lineage diverging followed by the European species T. platyphyllos. The European T. cordata and eastern Asian T. amurensis and T. kiusiana form a clade, while the North American T. americana is...