Phylogeny problems of the genus Vaccinium L. and ways to solve them

Abstract

The genus Vaccinium includes almost 500 species, among which there are economically important species of cranberries V. macrocarpon Ait. and V. oxycoccos L., lingonberries V. vitis-idaea L., bilberries V. myrtillus L. and blueberries V. uliginosum L., V. angustifolium Ait., V. corymbosum L., V. virgatum Ait. Despite the fact that many of these species were actively used by humans in medicine and food, their active selection began in the 20^th century, in connection with which a classification of the genus according to morphological characters was developed. Many of these data remain relevant to the present day. The development of the ideas of molecular phylogeny prompted a revision of the old classification, identifying a number of difficulties that do not allow one to unambiguously determine phylogenetic relationships within the genus. Today, the genus includes 33 sections, while the species composition of the sections and the evolutionary relationships between them remain controversial. This review discusses various approaches to the study of the structure of the genus Vaccinium: from classical to phylogenomic, the main results of using these approaches and their prospects.

Keywords

Vaccinium / phylogeny / DNA barcoding / DNA fingerprinting / phylogenomics

Funding

Министерство науки и высшего образования Российской ФедерацииMinistry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation(№ 075-15-2022-322)