Open AccessReappraisal of Primula ranunculoides (Primulaceae), an endangered species endemic to China, based on morphological, molecular genetic and reproductive characters
Author(s) -
SHAO JIANWEN,
WU YANFEI,
KAN XIANZHAO,
LIANG TONGJUN,
ZHANG XIAOPING
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
botanical journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.872
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1095-8339
pISSN - 0024-4074
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8339.2012.01228.x
Subject(s) - primulaceae , biology , scape , botany , endemism , primula , endangered species , phylogenetic tree , molecular phylogenetics , evolutionary biology , zoology , ecology , genetics , habitat , gene
The taxonomic status of Primula ranunculoides and other members of section Ranunuculoides is reappraised here based on data from morphological, reproductive and molecular characters. Multivariate analysis of morphological characters indicates that P. ranunculoides is a coherent species that can be distinguished from its sectional congeners P. cicutariifolia and P. merrilliana by the characters of simple kidney‐shaped outer leaves and the unique clonal reproductive ability by which apices of the scape differentiate into bulblets at the late phases of flowering. Recognition of P. ranunculoides at the specific level is also supported by palynological characters, breeding system, cross pollination results and molecular phylogenetic analysis of nrDNA internal transcribed spacer sequences. A taxonomic revision of section Ranunuculoides is presented and a possible mechanism of speciation discussed. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2012, 169 , 338–349.