全 文 ：热带亚热带植物学报　2015， 23(4)： 442 ~ 448
Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany
Received: 2014–11–07　　　　Accepted: 2014–12–17
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470303) and the Science and Technology Basic Work (2013FY112100).
* Corresponding author. E-mail: qeyang@scib.ac.cn
中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(六): 拟川西翠雀
花二新异名
袁琼, 杨亲二*
(中国科学院华南植物园， 中国科学院植物资源保护与可持续利用重点实验室， 广州 510650)
摘要： 通过标本室和野外观察，发现根据四川丹巴标本描述的毛茛科光果拟螺距翠雀花(Delphinium bulleyanum Forrest ex Diels
var. leiogynum W. T. Wang)和根据四川汶川标本描述的汶川翠雀花(D. wenchuanense W. T. Wang)与此前发现分布于四川宝兴、
都江堰、汶川一带的拟川西翠雀花(D. pseudotongolense W. T. Wang)没有区别，故将二者均处理为拟川西翠雀花的异名。
关键词： 翠雀属； 毛茛科； 分类学
doi: 10.11926/j.issn.1005–3395.2015.04.012
Taxonomic Studies on the Genus Delphinium (Ranunculaceae) from
China (VI): Two New Synonyms of D. pseudotongolense
YUAN Qiong, YANG Qin-er*
(Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Guangzhou 510650, China)
Abstract: Delphinium bulleyanum Forrest ex Diels var. leiogynum W. T. Wang and D. wenchuanense W. T.
Wang (Ranunculaceae) were described respectively from Danba and Wenchuan in western Sichuan, China. Both
herbarium and field observations have shown that they are identical with D. pseudotongolense W. T. Wang, a
species previously recorded to occur in western Sichuan (Baoxing, Dujiangyan, Wenchuan). We therefore reduce
them to the synonymy of D. pseudotongolense.
Key words: Delphinium; Ranunculaceae; Taxonomy
In 1983, Wang[1] described Delphinium wen-
chuanense W. T. Wang (Ranunculaceae) on the basis
of a collection, Chengdu Biol. Inst. Exped. 8282 (CDBI,
PE; Fig. 1), from Wenchuan, western Sichuan, China.
In the protologue, he stated that the species was
related to D. bulleyanum Forrest ex Diels, but differed
by the leaves less divided, 3-partite to 3 cm from
the base (vs. 3-partite to 6–8 mm from the base),
the inflorescence axis and pedicels spreading yellow
glandular puberulent (vs. retrorsely white puberulent
and spreading yellow glandular puberulent), the sepals
spreading yellow glandular puberulent abaxially (vs.
retrorsely white puberulent), and the petals undivided
at apex (vs. 2-lobed).
In 2013, Wang[2] described Delphinium bulleyanum
Forrest ex Diels var. leiogynum W. T. Wang on the
basis of a collection, D. E. Boufford et al. 38028
(PE; Fig. 2), from Danba, western Sichuan, China.
In the protologue, he stated that the new variety was
different from the typical one by the glabrous (vs.
第4期 443
Fig. 1 Specimens of Delphinium pseudotongolense. A: Chengdu Biol. Inst. Exped. 8282 (holotype of D. wenchuanense, PE), Wenchuan, Sichuan,
China; B–D: Chengdu Biol. Inst. Exped. 8282 (isotypes of D. wenchuanense, CDBI).
袁琼等：中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(六)：拟川西翠雀花二新异名
444 第23卷热带亚热带植物学报
Fig. 2 Specimen of Delphinium pseudotongolense, D. E. Boufford et al. 38028 (holotype of D. bulleyanum var. leiogynum, PE), Danba, Sichuan,
China.
第4期 445
puberulent) carpels.
We[3–4] have pointed out that when Wang describes
a plant as new, he often does not seek its putative
closest ally first from the neighborhood of the type
locality of the new taxon, but instead chooses a taxon
geographically more or less far away as the ally to
compare with the new taxon. Descriptions of D.
wenchuanense and D. bulleyanum var. leiogynum are
two such cases in point.
In stating that Delphinium wenchuanense was
related to D. bulleyanum, a species mainly distributed
in northwestern Yunnan, China[5], it is evident that
Wang[1] overlooked the older Sichuan species D.
pseudotongolense W. T. Wang, which Wang[6] himself
described from Baoxing, an area closely contiguous to
Wenchuan. As shown in Figures 1–4, D. wenchuan-
ense is identical with D. pseudotongolense in all
essentials. The plant is a taller herb often with
branches; stem is glaucous and glabrous; leaves are
3-partite; inflorescence axis, pedicels and sepals are
all spreading yellow glandular puberulent; spur of
the upper sepal is recurved and U-shaped. On our
botanical expedition to western Sichuan in 2004,
we found Delphinium pseudotongolense to be fairly
common in Wenchuan and its adjacent areas.
It is even more difficult to understand why Wang[2]
described Delphinium bulleyanum var. leiogynum
from a collection made in western Sichuan. From
geographical distribution and morphology, the type
specimen of D. bulleyanum var. leiogynum (Fig. 2)
can be readily referred to the older Sichuan species D.
pseudotongolense, which has glabrous or sparsely
puberulent carpels[6–8]. In other characters D. bulleyanum
var. leiogynum also perfectly matches D. pseudoton-
golense.
From the above analyses it is necessary to reduce
both Delphinium bulleyanum var. leiogynum and D.
wenchuanense to the synonymy of D. pseudotongolense.
Delphinium pseudotongolense W. T. Wang in
Acta Bot. Sin. 10: 153. 1962; Munz in J. Arn. Arb. 49:
240. 1968; W. T. Wang in Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin.
27: 414. 1979; W. T. Wang & Warnock in Fl. China 6:
256. 2001. Type: China. Sichuan: Baoxing, 1954, T. P.
Soong 38915 (holotype, PE!; isotypes, IBSC!, KUN!,
NAS!, PE!, SZ!, WUK!).
D. wenchuanense W. T. Wang in Bull. Bot. Res.
(Harbin) 3(1): 34.1983; et in Vas. Pl. Hengduan
Mount. 1: 485. 1993; W. T. Wang & Warnock in Fl.
China 6: 255. 2001. syn. nov. Type: China. Sichuan:
Wenchuan, Wolong, Xindianzi, roadside, 2500 m, Jul.
13, 1975, Chengdu Biol. Inst. Exped. 8282 (holotype,
PE!; isotypes, CDBI!).
D. bulleyanum Forrest ex Diels var. leiogynum
W. T. Wang in Guihaia 33: 582. 2013. syn. nov. Type:
China. Sichuan: Danba, Dingguo Shan, open areas
and at edges of forest, 2800–2950 m, Jul. 24, 2007
(holotype, PE!).
Additional specimens examined. China. Sichuan:
Baoxing, Baoxing Med. Pl. Exped. 78-0850 (SM), 78-
0864 (SM), T. P. Soong 38839 (PE, SZ), 38912 (NAS,
PE, SZ); Dujiangyan, M. H. Chen et al. 981474 (PE),
W. P. Fang 2241 (PE), H. N. Qin et al. 17211 (PE),
Z. T. Wang et al. 970203 (PE), Q. E. Yang & Q. Yuan
205 (PE); Wenchuan, K. Y. Lang et al. 1277 (KUN,
PE); Q. E. Yang & Q. Yuan 212 (PE); Without precise
locality (very likely Baoxing), S. Y. Hu 2675 (SZ).
Notes. Delphinium pseudotongolense is most
closely similar to D. tongolense Franch., a species fairly
common in western Sichuan and, interestingly, also
somewhat disjunctively distributed in central Yunnan
(Songming), but differs by the strongly recurved,
U-shaped (vs. straight or slightly recurved) upper
sepal. From D. bulleyanum it is different mainly in its
less divided leaves with broader primary lobes, two
characters somewhat variable and thus not always
reliable as diagnostic characters. In geographical
distribution, however, D. pseudotongolense and D.
bulleyanum are independent, the former occurring
in western Sichuan whilst the latter, as mentioned
before, mainly in northwestern Yunnan.
Distribution and habitat. Delphinium pseudo-
tongolense is distributed in western Sichuan (Baoxing,
Danba, Dujiangyan, Wenchuan; Fig. 5), China. It grows
in thickets or at edges of forests at altitudes of 1800–
3200 m.
袁琼等：中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(六)：拟川西翠雀花二新异名
446 第23卷热带亚热带植物学报
Fig. 3 Specimens of Delphinium pseudotongolense. A: K. Y. Lang et al. 1277, Wenchuan, Sichuan, China; B: Q. E. Yang & Q. Yuan 212, same locality;
C: M. H. Chen et al. 981474, Dujiangyan, Sichuan, China; D: Z. T. Wang et al. 970203 (PE), same locality.
第4期 447
Fig. 4 Specimens of Delphinium pseudotongolense. A: T. P. Soong 38915 (holotype, PE), Baoxing, Sichuan, China; B, C: T. P. Soong 38915 (isotypes,
SZ); D: T. P. Soong 38912 (paratype, PE), Baoxing, Sichuan, China.
袁琼等：中国毛茛科翠雀属的分类学研究(六)：拟川西翠雀花二新异名
448 第23卷热带亚热带植物学报
Acknowledgments　　We are grateful to the curators of CDBI,
IBSC, KUN, NAS, PE, SM and SZ for the permission to use
their scanned images of specimens and for research facilities.
We thank Ms. Hui-min LIi for the preparation of illustrations.
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