Julie Ballenger

Phylogenetic analysis of the chloroplast-encoded rbcL gene in Leguminosae are consistent with previous hypotheses in suggesting that the family as a whole is monophyletic, but that only two of its three subfamilies are natural. The earliest dichotomies in the family appear to have involved tribes Cercideae or Cassieae (subtribe Dialiinae), followed by Detarieae/ Macrolobieae, all of which are members of subfamily Caesalpinioideae. The remainder of the family is divided into two clades: (1) Mimosoideae and the caesalpinioid tribes Caeasalpinieae and Cassieae (subtribes Ceratoniinae and Cassiinae); (2) Papilionoideae. Basal groups within Papilionoideae are, as expected, elements of the grade tribes Sophoreae and Swartzieae. Major clades within Papilionoideae include: (1) a Genistoid Alliance comprising Genisteae, Crotalarieae, Podalyrieae, Thermopsideae, Euchresteae, and also some Sophoreae; (2) a clade marked by the absence of one copy of the chloroplast inverted repeat, with which are associated Robinieae. Loteae, and some Sophoreae; (3) Phaseoleae, Desmodieae. Psoraleeae, and most Millettieae, a group also marked by presence of pseudoracemose inflorescences; and (4) a well-supported clade comprising Aeschynomeneae, Adesmieae, and some Dalbergieae. Nodulation is most parsimoniously optimized on the rbcL strict consensus tree as three parallel gains, occurring in Papilionoideae, the caesalpioioid ancestors of Mimosoideae, and in the genus Chamaecrista (Caesalpinieae: Cassieae).

Species in 9 of the approximately 650 genera of the flowering plant family Leguminosae are known to possess a large (50-kb) inversion in their chloroplast genomes, relative to the gene order found most commonly among land plants. Putatively basal elements of the family have not been surveyed for the inversion, which is unknown outside the legumes. Using a combination of polymerase chain reaction and restriction-mapping approaches employing primers or hybridization probes flanking inversion endpoints, 132 legume genera were screened for the presence of the inversion. The inversion was found to be absent in all taxa from two of the three subfamilies (Mimosoideae and Caesalpinioideae), whereas the inversion was found to be present in most taxa of the third subfamily (Papilionoideae). Two papilionoid tribes, Swartzieae and Sophoreae, were heterogeneous for the inversion, which is consistent with a number of lines of evidence suggesting the polyphyly of these tribes. The 50-kb inversion appears to be a unique event in the evolution of Leguminosae, providing a synapomorphy for a clade that includes most of the Papilionoideae.

Mary Lai, Jennifer Sceppa, Julie A. Ballenger, Jeff J. Doyle, Richard P. Wunderlin, Polymorphism for the Presence of the rpL2 Intron in Chloroplast Genomes of Bauhinia (Leguminosae), Systematic Botany, Vol. 22, No. 3 (Jul. - Sep., 1997), pp. 519-528

The fruit from milk thistle (Silybum marianum) contains flavonolignans that posses therapeutic properties. Milk thistle extract is sold and taken as an herbal supplement. However, it is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The amount of flavonolignans in the commercial products is unknown. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to analyze the flavonolignans from six different commercial milk thistle products. The six commercial supplements consistently show lower amounts of total flavonolignans compared to the amount of milk thistle extract stated on the bottle. A consumer would receive the highest amount of total flavonolignans in a capsule by taking the Vitamin Shoppe product. On a cost basis, Origin provides the highest amount of total flavonolignans per capsule at the lowest price.

Margaret Timmerman-Erskine, Julie Ballenger, Roland R. Dute, Robert S. Boyd, Allozyme Investigation of the Trillium pusillum Michaux Complex (Trilliaceae): Taxonomic and Conservation Implications, The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, Vol. 130, No. 1 (Jan. - Mar., 2003), pp. 1-10