
node  &lt;-<span class="st"> </span>phylobase<span class="op">::</span><span class="kw"><a href="http://www.rdocumentation.org/packages/phylobase/topics/MRCA">MRCA</a></span>(birds,<span class="kw">c</span>(<span class="st">"Cerylidae"</span>, <span class="st">"Upupidae"</span>))

<span class="co"># get the node name</span>
nodename &lt;-<span class="st"> </span><span class="kw">names</span>(node)

<span class="co"># highlight all submembers of the MRCA</span>
<span class="kw"><a href="../reference/phyloca