The systematic position of Ehretia cortesia nom. nov. (= Cortesia cuneifolia: Ehretiaceae, Boraginales) inferred from molecular and morphological data

The systematic position of Argentinean Cortesia cuneifolia (Ehretiaceae, Boraginales) is investigated based both on morphological and on ITS1 sequence data. Inferred from a molecular phylogeny, monotypic Cortesia is not isolated from other taxa of Ehretiaceae as previously suggested, but is nested within Ehretia. Cortesia shares a two-parted endocarp with the Ehretia II subclade (including Ehretia microphylla ), which is considered as a derived condition within Ehretiaceae and is the most striking indication for a close relationship of the two. ITS1 sequence data and specialised leaf morphology suggest that Ehretia microphylla is probably the sister species of Cortesia cuneifolia, for which a new name is proposed: Ehretia cortesia.