ИСТИНА

The genus Peucedanum L. in the broadest sense is taxonomically one of the most complex groups in the Umbelliferae. According to the International Plant Name Index, 852 records of species and subspecies names are attributed to it. All species of Peucedanum s.ampl. are aggregated due to similarity in dorsally compressed fruits, but in many other characters they possess significant differences. Unfortunately, attempts to segregate new genera from Peucedanum did not always lead to convincing results. Nevertheless, as independent genera were recognized: (1) the North American Cymopterus Raf., Lomatium Raf., Oxypolis Raf., Pseudotaenidia Mackenzie; (2) mono- or oligotypic Euro-Asian Cervaria N.M.Wolf, Ferulopsis Kitag., Oreoselinum Mill., Ormosolenia Tausch, Thysselinum Adans., Xanthoselinum Schur, Demavendia Pimenov, Kafirnigania Kamelin & Kinzik., Kitagawia Pimenov and Fergania Pimenov; (3) the African Afrosciadium Winter, Nanobubon Magee and Notobubon van Wyk. The separate taxonomic status of the above mentioned genera was confirmed by molecular phylogenetic studies (Spalik et al., 2004; Sun et al., 2004; Valiejo-Roman et al., 2006; Ajani et al., 2008; Winter et al., 2008; van Wyk et al., 2013). As a result, now in sub-Saharan Africa as well as in North America there are no species of actually Peucedanum. The group Peucedanum s.str. with the generitype P. officinale L., composed only five species, distributed in the Medirerranean and Submediterranean Europe and in the Western Siberia. Revision of Umbelliferae, attributable to Peucedanum, is far from complete. Recently, the object of our study has become the Eurasian and Mediterranean representatives of the genus, many of which were proposed as monotypic (Haloselinum Pimenov, Macroselinum Schur, Rhizomatophora Pimenov, Pinacantha Gilli) or oligotypic (Taeniopetalum Vis., Dichoropetalum Fenzl) genera. The resulting molecular phylogenetic tree, including most of the critical Eurasian taxa of Peucedanum s.l. indicates the polyphyly of the group as a whole and support the separate position of mono- or oligotypic genera. Peucedanum s.l. is a polyphyletic group of plants. Before more is known about the biodiversity in this group, it seems rational to separate, step­by­step, some of the most distinctive taxa; otherwise, a revision of the whole “Peucedanum­ alliance” may never be practicable.