Scientists reconstruct largest ever family tree of major flowering plant group

Scientists have developed the largest ever family tree of a major group of flowering plants called monocots, which could help protect their diversity. Monocots account for a quarter of all flowering plants. They are among the most diverse and economically important plants on the planet, but their evolutionary lines have never been properly mapped. Monocots include staples such as corn, rice, wheat and barley; many tropical fruits such as pineapples and bananas; and other foods such as dates and sugarcane. Monocots such as grasses, bamboo, palms, and their derivations including fibres, are used as key building materials in many countries such as in China. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have created the most up-to-date family tree or phylogenetic tree, which traces the lines of evolutionary descent of monocots. The researchers analysed DNA samples from across the globe, aiming to determine what factors affected the diversity of monocot species.