Classification of normal phylogenetic varieties for tripods

Abstract

We provide a complete classification of normal phylogenetic varieties coming from tripods, and more generally, from trivalent trees. Let $G$ be an abelian group. We prove that the group-based phylogenetic variety $X_{G,\mathcal{T}}$, for any trivalent tree $\mathcal{T}$, is projectively normal if and only if $G\in \{\mathbb{Z}_2, \mathbb{Z}_3, \mathbb{Z}_2\times\mathbb{Z}_2, \mathbb{Z}_4, \mathbb{Z}_5, \mathbb{Z}_7\}$.