Data on the organization of a hypervariable chloroplast locus in the Anacamptis palustris (Orchidaceae) lineage are provided and used to infer the pattern of molecular evolution in this group. A large survey of sequence variation in A. palustris and allied taxa reveals several repeat types differing in number and organization that occur in the same plastid region. The resulting repeat type network suggests that at least seven different minisatellite loci evolved near each other in the tRNALEU intron and indicates the presence of at least three main phyletic lines in the A. palustris lineage.Key words: Anacamptis palustris, intron evolution, plastid DNA, tandem repeat, VNTRs.
Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution of Tricyrtis (Liliaceae s.l.) Inferred from Plastid DNA matK Spacer Nucleotide Sequences