Establishment Of The New Genus Asteroides W.P.Li And Studies Of Its Interspecific Relationships

Acording to the Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, Sect.Alpigenia Benth was placed in Aster(Asterinae, Astereae, Aseraceae).The paper studies the 11 species and varieties, Ser. Asteroides Ling(A. asteroids(DC.)O.Ktze., A likiangensis Franch., A.tsarungensis(Griers.) Ling., A.flaccidus Bge.), Ser. Diplostephioides Ling(A.diplostephioides(DC.)C.B.Clarke., A.yunnanensis Franch., A.sutchuenensis Franch., A.farreri W.W.Sm.et J.F.Jeffr.), Ser.Latibracteati Ling(A.bulleyanus J.F.Jeffr., A.brachytrichus Franch.), Ser.Salwinenses Ling(A.salwinensis Onno). Existing research shows that A. yunnanensis Franch.,A.asteroids(DC.)O.Ktze.,A. sutchuenensis Franch.,A.diplostephioides(DC.)C.B. Clarke.,A.farreri W.W.Sm. et J.F.Jeffr. and A.brachytrichus Franch. form a well supported clade, implying that these species might become a new genus.Paper confirmed the systematic status of the new genus detailly, in the aspects of morphology, cytology, molecular biology, showed the evidences being a new genus, and explored the origin relationship between species preliminary. 1. Confirm a new genusThe new genus is Asteroides,with purple slender ray flowers, growing in a radial pattern. The upper and lower skin of the leaves has stomas, and the density is larger, which is good for them to exist in the warm and wet environment. The new genus has two cytotypes, the diploid(2 n = 2 x =18, x = 9) and the tetraploid(2 n = 4 x = 36, x = 9). The high karyotype asymmetry, and the karyotype belonging to 2A type, show it more prog- ressive than Aster. The uniformity in the chloroplast genes of the species implys that, hey have the same origin. 2. The hybrid origin of the new genusThe date suggested the hybrid origin of the new genus. Abasic sites of some s pecies are heterozygosis, because of the homoploid cross-fertilizing. Some reported A.brachytrichus var. latifolius Ling in Addenda 360. is autopolyploid, but our study have found the heterozygous sites, so the species needs more studies. In the Aster flaccidus populations of some placees, the heterozygosity is found,and there are some special variation locuses in the sequences of the chloroplast gene. We speculate that the origin of the hybrid approach is the reciprocal cross. 3. Confirm some new speciesThe chloroplast genes, which belongs to maternal inheri- tance, provide more important informative sites. According to them, we confirmed a new species about A.yunnanensis Franch. and a new species about A.farreri W.W.Sm.et J.F.Jeffr..A.yunnanensis Franch. has 1~4 capitulums, but all the new species found in Gao’er si Shan has only 2 capitulums, and the cytotypes is the tetraploid, which different from A. yunnan- ensis var. yunnanensis. The sequence trn L-F, trn K also showed some special sites. So we can confirm that it’s a new species of A.yunnanensis Franch..The new species of A.farreri found in Gao’er si Shan has multiple capitulums, distinguishing from A.farreri var. farreri, which has only 1 capitulum. Combin- ing the informative sites of trn L-F, trn K, it was confirmed a new species of A.farreri var. farreri.