The spatiotemporal origin of Polynesian blueberries ( <i>Vaccinium</i> )
Our study suggests that an ancestral exaptation to temperate climates and an evolutionary history of the Hawai'ian Vaccinium clade dating back at least to the origin of Kaua'i have likely contributed to the present-day diversity of the group. Our results support a temperate East Asian origin, rare among the native plants of Hawai'i, and highlight the ongoing potential for both short- and long-distance dispersal in this group of island plants without a reduction or loss of dispersibility.
Authors
- Pamela S. Soltis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9310-8659)
- Andrew A. Crowl (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1745-0687)
- André S. Chanderbali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8728-6739)
- Peter W. Fritsch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3606-663X)
- Nico Cellinese (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7157-9414)
- Anna L. Becker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6085-1100)
Institutions
- College of Southern Nevada (US)
- Botanical Research Institute of Texas (US)
- Florida Museum of Natural History (US)
- University of Florida (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- American Journal of Botany
- Published
- 2025-10-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.70113
- Primary Topic
- Fern and Epiphyte Biology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00