Garrya (Garryaceae) comprises 15 species of shrubs and small trees restricted to the Americas. Garrya is taxonomically divided into two subgenera, Garrya and Fadyenia, which differ in morphology, secondary chemistry, and geographic distribution. The present work uses nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS) sequence data from 11 Garrya species to elucidate phylogenetic relationships within the genus and test the monophyly of the subgenera. Results strongly support subgenus Fadyenia as monophyletic, while monophyly of subgenus Garrya is supported only by maximum parsimony analyses. ITS data do not provide evidence for genetic admixture between the two subgenera of Garrya in spite of broad geographic overlap.