Mutisieae are considered one of the most important tribes for understanding the systematics and evolution of the Asteraceae because of their basal position within the family. The tribe is extremely diverse morphologically and biogeographically, consisting of 84 genera and 900 species. Despite extensive studies using macromorphological, palynological, and molecular approaches, tribal and subtribal delimitation and relationships of Mutisieae remain controversial. Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences of the chloroplast gene ndhF were performed using 53 species representing 31 genera of Mutisieae, 11 genera from the remaining five tribes of Cichorioideae, and five genera from the Asteroideae. The ndhF phylogeny of the Mutisieae provides insights into the circumscription and relationships of the tribe, subtribes, and taxonomic placement of several morphologically anomalous genera. The ndhF tree indicates that Mutisieae are polyphyletic. The subtribes Gochnatiinae and Mutisiinae are not monophyletic, whereas the Nassauviinae are monophyletic. The majority of the South American genera and the Chinese genus Nouelia of the Gochnatiinae are positioned in a basal position in the Mutisieae. Furthermore, intergeneric relationships are resolved in several cases.

Communicating Editor: Jerrold I. Davis