Received: November 16, 2011 Revised: December 7, 2011 Accepted: December 18, 2011
Abstract
The Acer wilsonii complex including A. wilsonii, A. tutcheri, and A. confertifoilum is distributed in southern China. Morphological variation was examined to delimit the species and to determine whether recognition at the specific level was warranted. Univariate and bivariate statistical methods, based on data taken from herbarium specimens, were used to examine morphological variation between and within species. This study showed that A. tutcheri differed from A. wilsonii by its rather short inflorescence, small leaf blades, and three leaf lobes with distinctive serrate leaf lobes. In contrast, there was virtually no separation of taxa with respect to the paniculatecorymbose or short paniculate inflorescence between A. confertifolium and A. tutcheri, suggesting that A. confertifolium morphologically resembled A. tutcheri and is a rather smaller form of it. Circumscription of Acer wilsonii has been quite troublesome, because the important holotype and isotype specimens contained different species under the same number and were misleading with respect to the correct application of the name. Furthermore, lobation is very weak within ser. Sinensia, but diversified inflorescences usually occur in China. A three lobed leaves species, A. wilsonii, represents the reduction in lobation without any modification of panicle inflorescences and seems to be closely related to A. sinense. However, A. tutcheri, which shows a reduction in panicle inflorescence with four petals and sepals, may not be closely related to A. sinense. Three lobed taxa may not correctly reflect the true relationship within ser. Sinensia. The designated lectotype of A. wilsonii, line drawings of representative leaves of related species, a key, and distribution maps of these taxa are presented.
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