全 文 ：植 物 分 类 学 报 44 (4): 477–479(2006) doi:10.1360/aps050040
Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica http://www.plantsystematics.com
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Received: 7 March 2005 Accepted: 15 June 2005
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant No. 30470125, and the Natural Science Foundation of
Guangdong Province, Grant No. 31255.
* Author for reprint request. E-mail: .
A new synonym of Primula boreiocalliantha (Primulaceae)
HU Chi-Ming HAO Gang*
(South China Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China)
Abstract The recently described new species Primula hongshanensis D. W. H. Rankin, Z.
D. Fang & H. Sun is reduced to P. boreiocalliantha Balf. f. & Forrest as a synonym, and a key
to its related species is provided.
Key words Primula, China, Primula hongshanensis, new synonymy.
In 1995 Mr. FANG Zhen-Dong collected a specimen of Primula L. with large beautiful
flowers in Zhongdian (Chungtien) of Yunnan Province, an area intensively collected by G.
Forrest, F. Kingdon Ward, J. F. Rock, and many Chinese botanists. David W. H. Rankin,
Professor of Department of Chemistry, University of Edinburgh, soon noticed the plant and
participated in the study both in field and in cultivation over the following five years. In 2002
they described the plant as new to science (Rankin et al., 2002).
In describing the new species, it seems that the authors consulted only one book—Dr. A.
J. Richards’ Primula (Richards, 2002). Unfortunately, in this book, the photo under the name of
Primula boreiocalliantha Balf. f. & Forrest represents a misidentification, so there is no species
that can be found to match the plant, and so they concluded that they discovered a new species.
They compared the new species with Primula chionantha Balf. f. & Forrest in detail, with about
11 evident differences listed. Although Primula boreiocalliantha was also mentioned, there
were only a few words, just simply to emphasize that the most significant differences from P.
boreiocalliantha are the much greater length of the pedicels and the white (opposed to
olive-colored) farina in P. hongshanensis D. W. H. Rankin, Z. D. Fang & H. Sun, but the
variation range of the species was not considered. Actually, in many species of Primula, the
scape and pedicels are rather short at the beginning of anthesis, and then elongated to a greater
length. As to the color of the farina, it may be thicker and brighter when young, becoming
thinner and faded with age; even the same author may use different terms to describe the color.
Primula boreiocalliantha is a distinct species, but for many times it has been described
as new, namely P. propinqua Balf. f. & Forrest, P. coryana Balf. f. & Forrest ex W. W.
Smith, P. muliensis Hand.-Mazz. If we check against the original descriptions of P.
boreiocalliantha and its synonyms, it would have become immediately clear that P.
hongshanensis is identical with P. boreiocalliantha (Table 1; Figs. 1–3), and the trifle

Table 1 Color of farina and measurements of pedicels in original descriptions of P. boreiocalliantha and its synonyms
Name Farina Pedicel Collecting date
of holotype
P. boreiocalliantha Balf. f. & Forrest lacteus (milky white) – June 1914
P. propinqua Balf. f. & Forrest griseus (pear grey) 3 cm July 1917
P. coryana Balf. f. & Forrest ex W.
W. Smith
albida vel pallido-sulphurea (whitish to
pale yellow)
2.5–3.5 cm June 1921
P. muliensis Hand.-Mazz. primum iniveo-serius caesio-farinosa
(initially snow white, later lavender blue)
2–6 cm July 1915
P. hongshanensis D. W. H. Rankin, Z.
D. Fang & H. Sun
alba (white) 3–6.5 cm July 1995
Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica Vol. 44 478






















differences in the color of farina and the
length of pedicels are the variation of
different stages of development of the same
species.
Primula boreiocalliantha Balf. f. &
Forrest in Notes Bot. Gard. Edinb. 13: 5.
1920; C. M. Hu in Fl. Reip. Pop. Sin. 59
(2): 174. 1990; J. Richards, Primula, ed. 2,
208. 2002, excl. plate. ① Type: China.
Yunnan (云南): Zhongdian (中甸), Forrest
12571 (holotype, E!).
Primula hongshanensis D. W. H.
Rankin, Z. D. Fang & H. Sun, Plantsman
n.s. 1 (3): 154. 2002; J. Richards, Primula,
ed. 2, 189, pl. 81. 2002. syn. nov. Type:
China. Yunnan (云南): Zhongdian (中甸),
Rankin, Fang & Sun s.n. SDR 422
(holotype, E!).
This species is very distinct and can be
easily recognized. Its outstanding
characteristics are: corolla bell-shaped,
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① The plant in the photo should be Primula calliantha ssp.
bryophila (Balf. f. & Forrest) W. W. Smith & Forrest.
Fig. 1. Photograph of Primula hongshanensis D. W. H.
Rankin, Z. D. Fang & H. Sun (holotype, D. W. H. Rankin,
Z. D. Fang & H. Sun s.n. SDR422, E).
Fig. 2. Photograph of Primula boreiocalliantha Balf.
f. & Forrest. (holotype, Forrest 12571, E).
Fig. 3. Photograph of Primula boreiocalliantha Balf. f. &
Forrest. (holotype of P. coryana Balf. f., G. Forrest 20448, E).
No. 4 HU Chi-Ming et al.: A new synonym of Primula boreiocalliantha (Primulaceae) 479
rose-lavender to rose-purple, more or less zygomorphic, exannulate; basal cylindrical portion
of tube slightly longer than the calyx, abruptly expanded upwards, forming a broad mouth and
copiously covered with white farina inside; limb 2.5–3.5 cm wide; lobes obovate, emarginated
to occasionally erose-denticulate; abaxial surface of leaves and apex of scapes covered with
white to lavender blue or olive-colored farina; capsules cylindrical, about 2 times as long as
calyx. It flowers from May to July, but individual flowering plant has been collected in early
August.

Key to Primula boreiocalliantha and its related species
1. Corolla bell-shaped, exannulate.
2. Flowers rose-lavender to rose-purple; leaves irregularly blunt dentate⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯P. boreiocalliantha
2. Flowers yellow; leaves laciniate-dentate⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯P. agleniana
1. Corolla funnel-shaped, annulate.
3. Corolla-lobes entire; leaves densely covered with golden yellow farina at anthesis⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯
⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯P. chionantha
3. Corolla-lobes deeply emarginate at apex; leaves initially covered with greenish yellow farina.
4. Corolla-tube less than 1.5 times as long as calyx⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯P. calliantha ssp. calliantha
4. Corolla-tube about 2 times as long as calyx⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯⋯P. calliantha ssp. bryophila
Acknowledgements We wish to thank the curator and staff of Royal Botanic Garden,
Edinburgh for assistance in checking specimens.
References
Rankin D W H, Fang Z-D, Sun H. 2002. A new species of Primula in section Crystallophlomis. The Plantsman
n.s. 1: 154–159.
Richards A J. 2002. Primula. 2nd ed. London: B. T. Batsford. 346.
木里报春一新异名
胡启明 郝 刚*
(中国科学院华南植物园 广州 510650)

摘要 将新近发表的Primula hongshanensis D. W. H. Rankin, Z. D. Fang & H. Sun处理为木里报春P.
boreiocalliantha的异名, 对近缘的几个种列出了检索表。
关键词 报春花属; 中国; Primula hongshanensis; 新异名