Patterns of variation and relationships in the eucalyptus alpina-e. Baxteri complex (myrtaceae) based on leaf volatile oils

Abstract

In the stringybark eucalypts, the baxteri clade consists of E. arenacea, from South Australia and northwestern Victoria, E. baxteri, mainly from the Great Dividing Range of Victoria, and E. alpina, an endemic taxon from the Grampian Ranges of Victoria. Populations of these taxa were sampled from across their geographic and morphological ranges. Phenetic and phylogenetic analyses were undertaken of the leaf volatile oil composition of the sampled plants. On the basis of these analyses, E. arenacea emerges as a cohesive, monophyletic species, while E. baxteri is a variable and probably paraphyletic species. Populations on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, are variable and intermediate, and may..