ABSTRACT
The taxonomy of Syzygium Gaertn has been confusing, primarily due to the apparent lack of "good diagnostic characters" to demarcate the generic and species boundaries in the genus and its alliances. Phylogenetic inferences in the Syzygium-Eugenia complex were attempted earlier using morphological and anatomical characters by Johnson and Briggs, who proposed an informal system of "alliances" and "suballiances" within the Myrtaceae. Harrington and Gadek examined phylogeny of the Syzygium group by analyzing sequence variations in internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and external transcribed spacer (ETS) regions of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. The studies so far carried out on the phylogeny of Syzygium and its alliances have been based on limited taxon and geographical coverage. Both phenetic and phylogenetic analyses, including molecular phylogenetic studies, need to be carried out in each floristic province or country, with special attention to identifying key characters and tracing their evolution at species and supraspecific levels.
