requirements for ad hoc hypotheses of homoplasy (Farris, 1983; Kluge, 1984). It is on this 
principle that programs of phylogenetic analysis like PAUP 3.1 (Swofford, 1990) are built. I used 
this program in my phylogenetic analysis of the genera in the Lauraceae and specifically for the 
species of Cinnamomum. 
Outgroup selection. 
The first step to evaluate the correlation of characters with the circumscription of taxa, 
required to do character polarization and advance hypotheses on the trends of transformation of 
character states. To do this, it was necessary to choose an appropiate outgroup for the family 
Lauraceae. Support for the selection procedure and designated outgroup is presented next. 
Recent publications that advance ideas about the relationship of the Lauraceae with other 
taxa (Donoghue & Doyle, 1989; Loconte & Stevenson, 1991; Qiu et al., 1993) have shown that 
the Lauraceae mostly come together with the taxa that Cronquist (1981, 1988) included in his 
order Laurales. In one case (Loconte & Stevenson, 1991), the Lauraceae, Hernandiaceae and 
Gomortegaceae together form the sister group of the Monimiaceae. In the study of Qiu et al. 
(1993), the Lauraceae and Monimiaceae are sister taxa, while the pair Calycanthaceae - 
Idiospermaceae is the sister group of the Hernandiaceae. Both schemes suggest a clear trend of 
reduction in the number of floral parts leading to the general condition of few determined floral 
whorls found in the Lauraceae.The fact that Qiu et al. (1993) used the genus Hedycarya to 
represent the Monimiaceae, is really suggestive in the results they got, for this genus does not 
have two of the distinguishing features found in the Lauraceae, i.e. valvate pollen sacs and 
stamens with paired appendages at their base. This implies that, if these families are different, 
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