Data from: Allopolyploidy in the Wintergreen Group of tribe Gaultherieae (Ericaceae) inferred from low-copy nuclear genes

DNA sequence data from the low-copy nuclear genes waxy (GBSSI) and leafy
were compared with plastid sequence data from prior studies to reconstruct
phylogenetic relationships in the Wintergreen Group of tribe Gaultherieae
(Ericaceae). We conducted phylogenetic analysis with 109 species that
includes representatives of all 15 major clades previously diagnosed in
the Wintergreen Group and that together span its circum-Pacific
distribution. Results yielded two distinct homeologous copies of waxy for
two of the clades, each in widely separated parts of the tree. It also
yielded two copies of leafy for one of the clades; only one copy of leafy
was found for the other clade, but it was placed in the same major clade
as its waxy counterpart and well away from its placement in a prior
plastid analysis. A combined four-locus (waxy, leafy, ITS, and plastid
loci) phylogenetic analysis of all available relevant data placed the
copies of each of the clades in two distinct positions in the phylogeny
with strong overall statistical support. In combination with evidence from
morphology, reproductive biology, and cytology, the results suggest that
these clades arose through allopolyploid hybridization between lineages
deep in the phylogeny but relatively close geographically. This finding
confirms previous assumptions that hybridization plays an important role
in the evolution of the Gaultherieae.