Cytological studies of 14 Chinese species ofParnassiaL. (Par-nassiaceae) and its phylogenetic implications

Abstract

-The chromosome numbers and karyomorphology of 14 Chinese species of the genus Parnassia were investigated. The chromosome numbers of 11 species were reported for the first time. The report of 2n=48 for P. monochrofolia Franch was new to the Chinese species of the genus. There are about 30 species cytologically studied up to now. From the available data, the species of Parnassia with the basic chromosome numbers of x=7, 8 and 9 were found in China and the Himalayas, in which the more species with x=9, as well as mainly in western N America, while x=8 was only found in eastern N. America. Polyploidization was common in the genus, more extensively in Northern America. Based on our results and the previously reported data, the basic chromosome numbers and polyploidization are discussed. Combined with gross morphology and geographical distribution of Parnassia, the phylogenetic implications of the cytological data are also discussed. It is suggested that eastern Asia and western N America are probably the modern divergent centers of the genus.

Karyomorphological Studies in Some Species of Parnassia L. (Saxifragaceae s.l.) in East Asia and Intraspecific Polyploidy of P. palustris L.

“…Thus, these two species are necessary to have more cytological studies. A peculiar chromosome number of 2n = 14 for Chinese species of Parnassia was reported by Funamoto et al [10,13] and Ding et al [7]. The chromosome number of 2n = 32 was previously reported in four North American species of Parnassia such as P. gandifolia, P. caroliniana, P. asarifolia, and P. glauca by Gastony and Soltis [18] and that was also found in Chinese species [8].…”

Parnassia palustris population differences in three Korean habitat types

“…( (Korta 1972;Simmons 2004). The Parnassia genus comprises about 70 species (Ding et al 2005), most of them in China (Simmons 2004).…”