Dated Phylogeny of <i>Banisteriopsis</i> (Malpighiaceae) Suggests an Ancient Colonization of the Cerrado and No Evidence of Human Manipulation in the Origin of <i>B. caapi</i>.

ABSTRACT: Banisteriopsis is a genus in the Malpighiaceae family with 61 species, notable for including ritualistic taxa such as B. caapi (Spruce ex Griseb.) C.V. Morton, one of the main components of Ayahuasca tea. We analyzed 38 Banisteriopsis species, representing more than 60% of the genus, to investigate its geographical origin, diversification period, and colonization routes in the Neotropics. Plastid genes (matK, ndhF, and rbcL) and nuclear regions (ETS, ITS, and PHYC) were used in our analyses. Divergence time analyses were performed using Bayesian inference with a relaxed molecular clock and ancestral area reconstruction. Our results show that Banisteriopsis originated in the Miocene approximately 22 million years ago, and its diversifi

SUBMITTER: Santos TAC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11990928 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature