editorial

The recognition of Shawia as a broadly circumscribed genus with infrageneric classification is currently unconvincing but has been provisionally adopted pending further scientific evidence, particularly regarding the three genera in the Pleurophyllum group. This treatment appears inconsistent with the criteria applied to Macrolearia, Damnamenia, and Pleurophyllum: leaf hair types, although well characterised in Shawia, are not used for generic delimitation, whereas similar variation in Pleurophyllum supports generic separation. Clades within Pleurophyllum are also weakly supported by bootstrap values, below what would generally be considered sufficient for generic-level recognition. Additional concerns include the limited sampling of the Australian Olearia complex in the datasets. Although earlier studies by Cross, Wagstaff, and others are referenced, advances in sequencing technology now warrant inclusion of Australian representatives, including Olearia tomentosa, to clarify relationships. Without these, the monophyly of Shawia cannot be confirmed, and adopting a broad genus concept may simply absorb any unrepresented lineages. The current presentation of generic concepts appears somewhat narrow, with limited discussion of alternative approaches and few detailed arguments. Nonetheless, there is significant potential for this work to become a substantial contribution if the major issues—sampling, phylogenetic support, and alignment of generic criteria—are addressed.

Etymology

After Thomas Shaw (1694-1751), English scholar and traveler.