Diversity and Phylogeny of Plantaginaceae

Dear Colleagues,

Plantains (ribworts), Plantago L., grow almost everywhere, except for Antarctica and tropical wet forests. Many Plantago species are known for their medicinal properties and, also, other traditional uses. Although some species have broad geographic distributions, such as cosmopolitan ruderals P. major and P. lanceolata, many others have restricted geographic distributions, occurring in more specialized environments. Several of these are strict endemic. While there is still a possibility of finding new species of the genus, some local endemics might already be extinct.

In many areas, Plantago species have successfully colonized new habitats. They have undergone consequent rapid and recent diversification, including having extremely high rates of mitochondrial DNA evolution, often contrasting with their low morphological variation. While this genus is relatively well-studied from a taxonomic viewpoint, satisfactory characterization of phylogeny remains lacking. To complicate things further, there is evidence of polyploidy, hybridization, and reticulate evolution in Plantago.

This Special Issue aims to broaden and improve the knowledge of this diverse and economically significant group of plants, including through revisional and original studies. Manuscripts on morphology, palynology, cytogenetics, embryology, chemistry, molecular biology, reproductive biology, systematics, phylogeny, paleontology, ecology, evolution and biogeography, and other related topics will all be considered for this issue.

We will also consider other members of the Plantaginaceae, for example, Digitalis, Antirrhinum, Veronica, Littorella and Aragoa. Whereas Littorella is a small, aquatic, relatively rare but broadly distributed herb, the Andean Aragoa is a páramo shrub with animal-pollinated flowers and a high hybridization level. Various studies have improved our knowledge of phylogenetic relationships among and within these genera during the past decades, but many aspects are still mysterious and demand much deeper research. We will also accept contributions concerning economic aspects and uses/applications of Plantagineae species.

One of the most significant advantages of publishing in this thematic issue is greater visibility. It has been noted that articles published in special theme-based or focus issues tend to have higher citation rates.

Prof. Alexey Shipunov
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Plantago
• Littorella
• Aragoa
• diversity
• phylogeny
• evolution