Abstract
This phenetic study of the highly uniform series Laurifoliae of subgenus Passiflora combines analyses of 124 morphological markers on 151 plants from 13 species and AFLP markers from 99 DNA samples from 15 species, out of its 20 species. Seven vegetative and 21 floral descriptors were retained, based on their predominantly interspecific variation and allometric relations. Principal component analyses synthesize quantitative variation by two vegetative and five floral factors, none of them discriminating clearly among species. However, threshold values separating particular species could be used to categorize original or synthetic variables, and pool them with purely qualitative descriptors, particularly floral traits. The neighbor-joining analysis shows that morphological differentiation among Laurifoliae species is linked to particular combinations of traits shared by several species and not to exclusive traits. One of these combinations (presence of an inner series of filaments and wide or narrow trochlea) suggests coevolution with particular pollinators. The tree is consistent with the series taxonomy, despite the relative exception of a complex of white-flowered species around P. riparia. Similarly, the genetic analysis detects both limited interspecific variations and the absence of exclusive AFLP markers for any species. However, the resulting dendrogram shows interspecific and geographical differentiation acting at comparable levels: while most species are supported by particular clusters, others are split into geographical clusters or subclusters, suggesting some admixture. Neither morphological nor AFLP markers support the recent splitting of P. nitida into three distinct species, so P. coloranigra and P. brauliensis are reintegrated as synonyms in this taxon.