Research in the Olmstead lab focuses on the phylogenetic reconstruction of flowering plants by molecular methods. The group of plants that comprise our primary research emphasis is the subclass Asteridae, which are common in both temperate and tropical ecosystems and contain many economically important plant families. In addition, we are pursuing research into the pattern of the basal angiosperm radiation using chloroplast gene sequences. The Olmstead lab has been instrumental in implementing new approaches from molecular biology in plant systematics and in developing approaches for dealing with the problems of analysis of large molecular data sets. For more details, visit the various researchers in the Olmstead lab.
