Phylogenomics and biogeography of Guadua (Poaceae): Insights into a Neotropical woody bamboo genus

The genus Guadua comprises some of the tallest bamboo species in the Neotropics, with certain species boasting significant economic importance and a history of being utilized since pre-Hispanic times in house construction using the traditional bajareque technique since pre-Hispanic times. Guadua species have a collective geographical distribution from Mexico to Central America and South America. While previous studies have suggested the potential monophyly of this genus based on chloroplastid markers and limited sampling, our research expands upon this by including more species. The primary objectives of our study were to construct a phylogenetic hypothesis of the Guadua genus and to reconstruct the ancestral area distribution of this genus.