| The systematic relationships in the section Mixtae Epling were investigated by means of (1) chromosome counts, (2) photographic spectral analysis of floral coloration and corolla nectar guides, (3) standard herbarium studies of morphological variance and nomenclature, and (4) statistical analysis of variance within and among selected taxa.;The following chromosome numbers were determined: S. cardiophylla Engelm. and Gray n = 24, S. saxatilis Riddell n = 15, and the S. ovata Hill complex n = 10, indicating a group with polyphyletic origins. Photographic spectral analysis of nectar guides on the lower lip of the corolla was used to quantify floral color components across the human and insect visual spectra. No "invisible" longwave UV patterns were recorded. Nectar guides patterns in both spectra were found to be useful characters at the specific and subspecific levels. These patterns plus corolla shape were used to build the classification framework for the S. ovata complex below:(UNFORMATTED TABLE OR EQUATION FOLLOWS);Concluding the study is the systematic treatment with nomenclaturial analysis, keys, and descriptions of all recognized taxa. |
