Editing Magnoliaceae (section)

=== Consensus and Debates Today ===
Although phylogenetic trees of the Magnoliaceae still include anywhere from 2 to 17 genera, the broad generic concept (where one genus, ''Magnolia'', is in the Magnolioideae) is largely accepted as a practical construction upheld by molecular and morphological evidence.<ref name="dx.doi.org"/> Even as debates over rank persist, monophyletic groups are largely established with opportunities for further research into endangered and extinct species. The family's place as early angiosperms means that research into its taxonomy and evolutionary history contributes to our broader understanding of the evolution of plant life.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

The development of [[DNA]] sequencing at the end of the 20th century had a profound impact on the research of phylogenetic relationships within the family. The employment of ''ndh''F and cpDNA sequences has refuted many of the traditionally accepted phylogenetic relationships within the Magnoliaceae. For example, the genera ''Magnolia'' and ''Michelia'' were shown to be [[Paraphyly|paraphyletic]] when the remaining four genera of the Magnolioideae are split out. In fact, even many of the subgenera (''Magnolia'' subg. ''Magnolia'', ''Magnolia'' subg. ''Talauma'') have been found to be paraphyletic. Although no completely resolved [[phylogeny]] for the family has yet been determined, these technological advances have allowed systematists to broadly circumscribe major lineages.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Azuma, H., García-Franco, J. G., Rico-Gray, V., and Thien, L. B. | year = 2001 | title = Molecular phylogeny of the Magnoliaceae: the biogeography of tropical and temperate disjunctions | journal = American Journal of Botany | volume = 88 | pages = 2275–2285 | doi = 10.2307/3558389 | jstor = 3558389 | issue = 12 | pmid = 21669660 | doi-access =  }}</ref>