The introduction history and phylogenetic relationships of Passiflora foetida sensu lato in Australia

Here we use a whole chloroplast sequencing approach to assess the phylogenetic relationship between multiples accessions of P. foetida s. l. in order to identify the lineage(s) present in the introduced range in Australia and their most likely source area(s) in the native range in Central and South America. We also use the same approach to confirm the phylogenetic position of P. foetida s. l. amongst all taxa of Passiflora - native and non-native (including both commercial varieties and naturalised species) - that are present in Australia. Specifically, we sought (1) to determine whether the presence of P. foetida s. l. in Australia is the result of a single or multiple introductions; (2) to identify the source of the introduction(s) and any evolutionary divergence between the native range and Australian range; and (3) to determine the phylogenetic relationship between the introduced lineages and any other co-occurring Passiflora species.