Article

Between 1955 and 1977, the main contributions to the systematics ofthe Cardueae were made by Wagenitz (pollen: 1955), Dittrich (histology of cypselas: 1966, 1968a, 1968b, 1969, 1977, 1984) and Meusel & Kohler (growthforrn: 1960). Since 1980, new approaches have provided an impetus to a new look at the group. Different authors used cladistic methods to analyse morphological, paJynological and molecular characters [Bremer (1994), Susanna & al. (1995), Petit (1997) and Petit & al. (1996)]. We here present results of a cladistic analysis based on two characters sets, one morphological (33 characters), the other palynological (41 characters), of 34 taxa close to Centaurea. The morphological characters come mostly from previous published studies, whereas the palynological ones, defined in a previous work, are applied to the Centaureinae for the first time. Special emphasis is placed on the Carthamus complex. Several approaches were investigated: two outgroups (Jurinea and Saussurea) and, with respect to the pollen analysis, different qual· itative and quantitative character codings. The very high sensibility of obtained topologies when the data sets are considered alone or together is remarkable. We interpret the lack of robustness of relationships between clades by the probable "burst" nature of evolution in this group; the origin of the group is doubtless in the Mediterranean region. This "star-like" phylogeny, the probable result of ecological factors, has yet to be explored.