| Summary: | <i>Waldsteinia</i> is a small plant genus inhabiting the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. According to the latest revisions, <i>Waldsteinia</i> is included in <i>Geum</i>. We have obtained a phylogenetic reconstruction based on the nuclear (ITS) and plastid (<i>trnL-trnF</i>) DNA to understand the phylogenetic structure of <i>Waldsteinia</i> and its relationships with other taxa of <i>Geum</i> s.l. Phylogenetic analysis based on the joint ITS + <i>trnL-trnF</i> dataset demonstrated <i>Waldsteinia</i> monophyly. The phylogenetic relationships of <i>Waldsteinia</i> species were better explained by their geographical distribution than their morphology. Hence, Euro-Siberian, Northeast Asian, and North American phylogeographic groups were distinguished, with East Asia having been suggested as the place of <i>Waldsteinia</i> origin. Considering the incongruence in <i>W. geoides</i> (a type species) position on the plastid and nuclear DNA trees, together with the discrepancy between the species morphology and its location on the plastid DNA tree, a hybrid origin was suggested for this species. Despite the fact that the position of <i>W. maximowicziana</i> is still not fully resolved, we support the point of view that claims it should be separated from the <i>W. ternata</i> aggregate (traditionally including <i>W. trifolia</i>, <i>W. ternata</i> s.str., and <i>W. maximowicziana</i>) and considered a separate species. The American <i>W. doniana</i>, <i>W. fragarioides</i>, and <i>W. lobata</i> belong to a single maternal lineage, but the observed genetic differences are too small to serve as a convincing argument for species segregation, so their relationships still remain unresolved.
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