Abstract: It remains unclear about the speciation and phylogeny of Adoxaceae s. s ., a small family with 3 genera and 4 species . In this paper , ITS ( nuclear DNA internal transcribed spacer) regions of Adoxa orientalis and Sambucus adnata were firstly sequenced . Phylogenetic trees were constructed for all species of Adoxaceae (four species ) , Sambucus, Viburnum and four genera of Caprifoliaceae . The divergences among four species of this family were further calculated based on the calibration of the fossil records of the Caprifoliaceae and the general evolutionary rate of herbs for ITS . The phylogenetic analyses did not support the previous assumptions on the phylogeny and species divergence of Adoxaceae s. s . based on the morphological evidence : Tetradoxa is not the firstly diverged and it clustered with two species of Adoxa as a monophylogenetic group , paralleling to the other lineage comprising of monotypic Sinadoxa . The allopatric speciation at the diploid level might have contributed to the differentiation among Sinadoxa corydalifolia, Tetradoxa omeiensis and Adoxa moschatellina and the polyploidy to the origin of A. orientalis . The crude timing based on ITS sequence differentiation suggested a recent divergence among all four species probably between the late Miocene and the Tertiary and this speciation process might be closely correlated with habitat fragmentation and change due to the extensive uplifts of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and climatic oscillation during the glacial and interglacial ages occurred at this stage .

Key words: Adoxaceae