The
eudiocots comprise 75% of angiosperm species diversity. The eudicot clade
is characterized by tricoplate and tricolpate-derived pollen (the "Tricolpate
Clade"). Collaborative research aims at further elucidating eudicot phylogenetic
relationships, both among major clades and within diverse orders such as Caryophyllales,
Lamiales and Malpighiales. Among other topics, work emphasizes a better understanding
of molecular evolutionary patterns of genomic regions that are used as molecular
markers, and to search for new markers. This strategy is expected to lead
to improved resolution and support in phylogenetic trees. Integrating morphology
for a comprehensive picture of eudicot evolution currently focuses on pollen
characters, which are highly informative in the clade.
