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Abstract Distephanus Cass. comprises 43 distinctive species of shrubs and small trees that have been placed historically within the ironweed tribe, Vernonieae (Asteraceae). Using the most expansive sampling of Distephanus to date, this study aims to test the monophyly of this genus and facilitate its classification. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were conducted using four molecular markers from the nuclear and plastid genomes. These data also supported divergence dating analyses that were performed to understand the timing of diversification events within Distephanus and other related genera as well as ancestral area reconstruction analyses to infer the biogegraphic history of species diversity in this group. Results from this study indicate that, as currently circumscribed, Vernonieae is not monophyletic and that Distephanus is, in fact, sister to a clade that comprises Vernonieae and another tribe, Moquinieae, which only includes two species restricted to Brazil. On the basis of these findings, Distephanus is classified in a new tribe that we describe here, Distephaneae. This new tribe comprises 41 species of Distephanus that are easily distinguished from Moquinieae and Vernonieae based on the presence of florets with yellow corollas and trinervate leaves. 

PremiseHybrid capture with high‐throughput sequencing (Hyb‐Seq) is a powerful tool for evolutionary studies. The applicability of an Asteraceae family‐specific Hyb‐Seq probe set and the outcomes of different phylogenetic analyses are investigated here. MethodsHyb‐Seq data from 112 Asteraceae samples were organized into groups at different taxonomic levels (tribe, genus, and species). For each group, data sets of non‐paralogous loci were built and proportions of parsimony informative characters estimated. The impacts of analyzing alternative data sets, removing long branches, and type of analysis on tree resolution and inferred topologies were investigated in tribe Cichorieae. ResultsAlignments of the Asteraceae family‐wide Hyb‐Seq locus set were parsimony informative at all taxonomic levels. Levels of resolution and topologies inferred at shallower nodes differed depending on the locus data set and the type of analysis, and were affected by the presence of long branches. DiscussionThe approach used to build a Hyb‐Seq locus data set influenced resolution and topologies inferred in phylogenetic analyses. Removal of long branches improved the reliability of topological inferences in maximum likelihood analyses. The Astereaceae Hyb‐Seq probe set is applicable at multiple taxonomic depths, which demonstrates that probe sets do not necessarily need to be lineage‐specific.