1. The Intricate World of Milkweed Pollination

Citation: Mary E. Endress, Sigrid Liede-Schumann, and Ulrich Meve "ADVANCES IN APOCYNACEAE: THE ENLIGHTENMENT, AN INTRODUCTION," Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 94(2), 259-267, (27 July 2007). https://doi.org/10.3417/0026-6493(2007)94[259:AIATEA]2.0.CO;2 https://bsapubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajb2.1067 This is an excerpt from the online journal Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden containing an introduction to a collection of articles about the Apocynaceae plant family. The authors, Mary E. Endress, Sigrid Liede-Schumann, and Ulrich Meve, present a revised classification system for the Apocynaceae family. They highlight advances in research on the family's phylogeny, biogeography, pollination biology, and even how some butterflies utilize the family's pyrrolizidine alkaloids. The authors make note of the updated classification scheme, which recognizes a new tribe in Rauvolfioideae and three new tribes in Apocynoideae. They also highlight the seven new subtribes recognized in Asclepiadoideae. This article serves as an introduction to the special issue devoted to recent research on the Apocynaceae family, providing a comprehensive overview of the advancements made. Citation: Evolution on the backbone: Apocynaceae phylogenomics and new perspectives on growth forms, flowers, and fruits Mark Fishbein, Tatyana Livshultz, Shannon C. K. Straub, André O. Simões, Julien Boutte, Angela McDonnell, Abbey Foote First published: 07 May 2018 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.1067 This is an article published in the American Journal of Botanythat examines the evolutionary history of the Apocynaceae plant family, which includes milkweeds, oleanders, and periwinkles. The authors conducted a large-scale phylogenetic analysis using genetic data from a significant portion of the family. This analysis resulted in a well-supported evolutionary tree, clarifying relationships between various Apocynaceae groups and shedding light on how traits like growth form, flowers, and fruits have changed over time within the family. The study highlights the importance of extensive sampling and the use of appropriate evolutionary models for understanding the complex evolutionary processes shaping plant diversity.