Lysimachia Linnaeus. Common name: Loosestrife.

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A genus of about 140 species, herbs (rarely shrubs), cosmopolitan. Hao et al. (2004) showed that the traditional subgeneric classification of Lysimachia is highly artificial, and that Glaux is embedded within Lysimachia. Yan et al. (2018), in a strongly sampled, Bayesian analysis, presented a phylogeny which supports retention of Trientalis ('Clade XI'), Steironema ('Clade IX'), a broadened Centunculus ('Clade VIII'), and a narrowed Anagallis ('Clade VII') as a series of basal grade clades to a still very diverse and heterogeneous Lysimachia ('clades I, II, III, IV, V, and VI'), including Glaux ('clade III'). It seems to us a better choice to retain the traditionally recognized and phylogenetically supported genera Trientalis, Steironema, Centunculus, and Anagallis than to combine them in to a hyper-diverse Lysimachia in the broadest sense possible.

References: Cholewa (2009f) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (2009); Coffey & Jones (1980); Estes, Shaw, & Mausert-Mooney (2015); Hao et al. (2004); Manns & Anderberg (2009); Ståhl & Anderberg (2004) In Kubitzki et al. (2004); Yan et al. (2018). Show full citations.

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