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Parsimony analyses of the internal transcribed spacer regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS 1&ITS 2) for 38 taxa sampled from thePhebaliumgroup (Rutaceae: Boronieae) and two outgroups confirm that, with the exception ofPhebaliumsensu stricto andRhadinothamnus, six of the currently recognised genera within the group are monophyletic. The data indicate thatPhebaliums. str. is paraphyletic with respect toMicrocybe, andRhadinothamnusis paraphyletic with respect toChorilaena.RhadinothamnusandChorilaenatogether are the sister group toNematolepis.Drummondita, included as an outgroup taxon, clustered within the ingroup as sister toMuirianthaand related toAsterolasia.The phylogeny suggests that the evolution of major clades within a number of these genera (e.g.Phebalium) relates to vicariance events between eastern and south-western Australia.Leionemais an eastern genus, with the most basal taxon being the morphologically distinctLeionema ellipticumfrom northern Queensland.Leionemaalso includes one species from New Zealand, but this species (as with some others) proved difficult to sequence and its phylogenetic position remains unknown. Taxonomic changes at the generic level are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]