In this study, we designed new primer sets aimed at the matK
coding region and its 50 upstream genes, including trnK, chlB, and
rps16. We attempted to: (1) ascertain where the trnK loss event
took place in the evolution of ferns; (2) characterize the sequence
properties and quantify the phylogenetic performance of fern
matK, and further compare it with rbcL and atpA; (3) evaluate