Resolving Reticulate Evolutionary Histories of Polyploid Species of Azorella (Apiaceae) Endemic to New Zealand

We studied 17 polyploid taxa (species, subspecies, or varieties) in Azorella sections Schizeilema and Stilbocarpa (4x, 6x, and 10x). All are endemic to New Zealand, except the Australian endemic A. fragosea. Our goals were to assess the biogeographic origins of the New Zealand species, resolve species relationships, and determine the origins of the higher polyploids (i.e., 6x and 10x). Including the South American outgroup species, we reconstructed the phylogeny of 125 individuals representing 20 Azorella taxa collected from 72 sites using the Angiosperms353 bait set and Hyb-Seq captured single copy nuclear genes (SCNGs). We also reconstructed phylogenies of complete plastomes and nrDNA that were extracted from genome-skimming reads from 104 individuals representing 19 Azorella taxa.