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Comments onthe taxonomic relationship between Raphiolepis major Card. and R. indica (L.) Lindl.

Hsu Ping-Sheng, Li Lin-Chu   

  1. (Department of Biology, Fudan University)
  • Received:1900-01-01 Revised:1900-01-01 Online:1982-05-18 Published:1982-05-18
  • Contact: Hsu Ping-Sheng

Abstract:

 According to the information including type material with regard to Raphiolepis
major Card. and R. indica (L.) Lindl., the morphological differences between these two
closely related taxa are largely quantitative, i.e., the former has larger leaves, flowers
and fruits, and longer petioles and pedicels than the latter. But since these characteri-
stics are rather variable, they can hardly be proven to be sound in separating these two
taxa as distinct.
     By using methods of quantitative analysis with scatter diagrams on herbarium ma-
terials, we have found that the characteristics used to discriminate the two taxa either
tend to display continuous variational patterns, or vary at random.  Both eases suggest
that the morphological variations of individual sample plants are probably due to the dif-
ferent modes of growth or development of plants in response to varied environments.
Since these two taxa are taxonomically inseparable from each other as a whole, it seems
advisable to treat them as one single species.  Thus, the lately published R. major Card.
should be reduced to a synonym of R. indica (L.) Lindl.