Journal article

Publication year: 2014

Pages: 23-33

Journal: Edinburgh Journal of Botany

Volume number: 71

Issue number: 1

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960428613000243

Publisher: Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

Abstract: 

The genus Leontopodium
(Pers.) R.Br. (Asteraceae, Compositae) is economically important for
both pharmaceutical and horticultural purposes. This importance,
however, has not led to a good understanding of species coherence and
the delimitation of species. One fundamental aspect of a good
understanding of a species is how many chromosomes it has and any
possible indication of polyploidy. Here we present somatic chromosome
numbers for 16 Leontopodium species, of which six are new for science. The results indicate basic chromosome numbers of x = 6, 8, 9 and 11, with x = 8 being most frequent among the species examined. While obviously including several distantly related lineages, the x
= 8 species have distributions that are concentrated in the centre of
diversity of the genus in southwest China. We identified two
‘species-pairs’ (Leontopodium dedekensii–L. sinense and L. souliei–L. calocephalum)
in which the tetraploid species has more vigorous growth, but is
confined geographically to the centre of diversity. The diploid species
ascend to generally higher elevations and extend more towards the
Tibetan Plateau. In contrast, our data also suggest range expansions in
other polyploid species, such as the hexaploid Leontopodium ochroleucum extending into the mountains of Central Asia. Deviations from x
= 8 are found at the edges of the wide Eurasian distribution of the
genus. These may relate to subsequent range expansions into the
Himalayas, northern Asia, the Far East, and a far disjunctive expansion
to the mountains of Europe. This implies an increased ability of these
species to colonise mountain floras and adapt to different environmental
conditions. Thus, formation of higher ploidy levels in general might be
significant for a successful radiation process.

Harvard Citation style: Stille, J., Jaeger, M., Dickore, W., Ehlers, K., Holzhauer, S., Mayland-Quellhorst, E., et al. (2014) Chromosome numbers of the edelweiss, leontopodium (asteraceae, compositae – gnaphalieae), Edinburgh Journal of Botany, 71(1), pp. 23-33. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960428613000243

APA Citation style: Stille, J., Jaeger, M., Dickore, W., Ehlers, K., Holzhauer, S., Mayland-Quellhorst, E., Safer, S., Schwaiger, S., Stuessy, T., Stuppner, H., & Wissemann, V. (2014). Chromosome numbers of the edelweiss, leontopodium (asteraceae, compositae – gnaphalieae). Edinburgh Journal of Botany. 71(1), 23-33. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960428613000243