phylogeny or phylogenesis is the chronological reconstruction of the evolutionary history of a given group of organisms. Formerly based on morphological comparisons (see vine morphology), this field has been revolutionized in the last 20 years by phylogenetics, the DNA analyses of various molecular markers found in the nucleus (inherited from both parents), or in the organelles (e.g. the chloroplasts, maternally inherited in grapevines), and usually represented as a phylogenetic tree. See botanical classification for the phylogeny of the grapevine.
