中国植物分类学的开拓者们

正由于我国现代植物学起步晚,当代早期的植物学家几乎都是出国留学的,开始时是留学日本,后期转为留学欧美为主,而且这一现象至今如此。从20世纪20年代到80年代,我国共有百余位留学海外的植物分类学者,其中70人左右获得了博士学位。     

中国云实属植物分类学修订

对中国云实属植物进行了系统学修订,确认中国产云实属植物有20种,列出分种检索表,对《中国植物志》39卷中未记载的3种植物进行了详细的描述,对鸡嘴簕的名称进行了探讨。     

中国植物分类学的那些事儿

正中国植物种类丰富,仅研究得比较清楚的高等植物(包括苔藓植物、蕨类植物和种子植物,但是不包括藻类植物、菌物和地衣)就多达35784种,为公认的北半球植物种类最多的国家,世界上也名列前茅,特别是具有丰富的特有类群。《中国植物志》(1959—2004)和英文版《中国植物志》(Flora of     

中国植物分类学中的物种问题

Nooteboom和Peter Raven都认为中国的分类学家往往持有狭隘的物种概念,而这是由于他们缺 少足够的标本,尤其是模式标本,因而不能充分研究种的变异性。Raven说这使他相信中国植物分类学 中真正的物种概念颇有模式概念的色彩。他们的说法不无道理。的确,中国的植物区系中可能有大量 的种其真实身份还有讨论的余地。根据单个性状或完全按营养器官性状来命名新种是常有的事。有些 学者甚至把发表新种作为其分类工作的主要目标。现有的、为数非常有限的关于中国植物变异式样研 究的证据证明有些“种”实际上是生态宗(Clinopodium)、地理宗(Cunninghamia和Indigofera)或呈地形 梯度变异式样的分类群(Lespedeza和Rhododendron)而已。根据表型的可塑性变化而命名的种曾经或 仍然被作为“好种”对待(Rorippa)。具各种不同叶形特性的种间杂种的分离系被命名为不同的种 (Ilex)。分类学上本来就已经很复杂的无融合生殖复合体由于新种的不断增加而变得更加复杂 (Malus)。对一个具有复杂变异式样的种的精心研究导致对25个种名的归并,其中有10个是80年代 由中国分类学家发表的(Clematoclethra)。诸如此类的例子随着研究工作的扩大而势必大量增加。传统 植物分类学主要或完全以形态性状为依据。外部形态性状具有比较容易观察和记录的优点。分类学种 概念能满足多种用途分类的需要。但如果把分类学种概念说成是完全凭分类学家个人的主观判断或甚 至偏爱而很难有是非之分就颇成问题了。现在比过去任何时候都有条件对种这个分类阶元作客观的解 释。正确的物种概念来自对植物变异式样及其分类学价值的正确和充分的理解。因此,作为标本室分 类学家,首先要研究尽可能多的标本。其次,尽可能收编来自其他方面的证据是十分可取的。这些证据 即使不是很有用的分类性状,对更好地了解或解释类群的变异式样往往具有重要的意义。分类学家可 借以发现他所寻找的分类群在表型或基因型变异上的间断。对这两种间断的合理应用将导致在许多属内种级水平的更加合理的分类。     

中国特有植物白玉山蔷薇分类学考证

白玉山蔷薇(Rosa baiyushanensis Q. L. Wang)为中国特有植物,仅分布于辽宁省大连市旅顺口区,被列为辽宁省二级保护植物。本种发表于1984年,模式标本是1957年6月由朱有昌采自大连旅顺白玉山。笔者通过近年来的野外调查发现,由于模式产地生境被破坏,未见到白玉山蔷薇的分布,但是在旅顺范围内距离白玉山不远的郭家沟、对庄沟一带均见到此植物。考虑到上述地方均是人为活动较频繁的区域,而且还发现此植物与原产欧洲的犬蔷薇(Rosa canina L.)同时出现,加之该地区的历史原因,笔者推断白玉山蔷薇与犬蔷薇类似,均是外来植物。通过野外观察、查阅中外植物志和比对模式标本,对其外部形态进行仔细对照研究发现,白玉山蔷薇与原产欧洲的锈红蔷薇(Rosa rubiginosa L.)没有本质区别,故将白玉山蔷薇处理为锈红蔷薇的异名。同时,考虑到白玉山蔷薇(锈红蔷薇)在某些国家被列为外来入侵种,笔者建议将白玉山蔷薇从保护名单上删除。此外,根据Rehder蔷薇属分类系统白玉山蔷薇(锈红蔷薇)和犬蔷薇在分类上均属于蔷薇属(Rosa L.)蔷薇亚属(Subgen. Eurosa)犬齿组(Sect. Caninae),这一发现填补了《中国植物志》未收录犬齿组植物的空白。同时,笔者也纠正了Flora of China将白玉山蔷薇(锈红蔷薇)划分到桂味组(Sect. Cinnamomeae)的错误。     

中国荞麦属植物分类学的修订

荞麦是一种蓼科(Polygonaceae family)荞麦属(Fagopyrum Mill)的古老作物,在全世界,尤其是东亚及东欧地区广泛种植。数千年以来,荞麦都是中国凉山等高海拔地区的主要粮食作物,其营养丰富,其中富含的芦丁等生物活性成分还具有抗氧化、抗肿瘤的功效。荞麦的栽培种甜荞和苦荞已经被广泛传播,但野生荞麦却只在特定区域分布。中国西南地区,包括四川、云南、贵州各省以及西藏自治区,是公认的世界荞麦属植物的起源中心、分布中心和多样化中心,荞麦种质资源非常丰富。目前已有文献报导的荞麦属植物超过20种,其绝大多数已在中国西南地区被发现,该地区的地理环境非常复杂,孕育了极具多样性的野生荞麦资源。但截至目前,这些已报导的种还没有经过科学的归类,同种异名的现象比较严重,本研究团队从2004年至今,在中国西南地区进行了多年多次的野外考察和标本采集工作,并在室内进行花和果实的解剖观察,获得了大量的荞麦属植物分类学数据。基于这些数据和荞麦染色体数量分析,经馆藏标本和模式照片的对比,并综合国内外相关文献,对中国荞麦属植物进行了分类学修订,将产自中国的荞麦属28个种归并为21个:即将Fagopyrum megaspartanium Q. F.Chen,F. pilus Q. F. Chen并入F. cymosum (Trrev)Meisn作为异名;F. pleioramosum Ohnishi,F. wenchuanense J.R.Shao并入F.caudatum (Samuelsson) A. J. Li作为异名;F. callianthum Ohnishi并入F.qiangcai D.Q.Ba作为异名;F. zuogongense Q.F.Chen并入F. homotropicum Ohnishi作为异名;F. longzhoushanense J.R.Shao并入F. pugense T.Yu作为异名。重新制定了21个种的分种检索表。本文将有助于重新认识荞麦属植物的进化地位,并为后续进一步探究属中各个种的亲缘关系奠定了基础。     

动物分类学工作之我见

编者按:该文是夏武平先生为中国科学院昆明动物研究所王应祥研究员的著作<中国哺乳动物物种纲要>作的序,由王应祥研究员根据夏先生的口述录音整理.     

The Species Problem in Plant Taxonomy in China

Nooteboom (1992) and Peter Raven (pers. comm. ) have pointed out that Chinese taxonomists often hold a narrow species concept and that this may due to the small volum of collections, especially type specimens, available to them which led to the unadequate study on the variability of the species. Raven remarked that “this leads me to believe that the actual concept of species used in plant systematics in China tends to be fairly typological”. What they said are by no means unreasonable. Indeed, the taxonomical status of a considerable number of species in the Chinese flora is probably open to question. New species based on a single character or solely on vegetative characters are of frequent occurrence. Evidences from a very limited number of researches on the patterns of plant variation heretofore available in China have shown that some “species” are, in fact, ecological races ( Clinopodium ), geographical races (Cunninghamia & Indigofera ), or taxa with topoclinal variation (Lespedeza & Rhododendron ). Species based on plasticity of phenotype variation have been or still regarded as “good species” ( Rorippa ). Segregates of an interspecific hybrid with diverse leaf characters have been given different species names ( Ilex ). The originally complicated situation in taxonomy of an agamic complex becomes even more complicated after the publication of additional new species (Malus). A careful analysis of a species with rather complicated patterns of variation leads to the combination of 25 specific names, of which 10 were published in the 80’s by Chinese taxonomists ( Clematoclethra ). Examples of these kinds will greatly increase with the broadening of research work at the species level. Orthodox plant taxonomy is based largely or solely on morphological characters. The exomorphic characters have the practical advantage that they are relatively easy to observe and to record. The taxonomical species concept can meet the needs of general purpose classification. But the notion that the taxonomical species concept is a solely intuitive judgement or preference of an individual worker and one could hardly say what is right and what is wrong is quite problematical. The species category today is much more capable of objective interpretation than ever before. A correct species concept stems from a correct and thorough understanding of the nature of variation pattern of plants and its taxonomical value. Hence, as a herbarium taxonomist, the first thing is to study as many collections as possible. Secondly, the incorporation of evidence from other sources whenever possible is highly desirable. These evidences,if they are not very useful as taxonomical criteria, are frequently of great significanee in contributing to a better understanding or interpretation of the variation pattern of a given taxon. The taxonomist might find the discontinuities he seeks better expressed in either the phenotypic or the genetic variation. A logical application of these two sorts of criteri-a would lead to a more rational classification at the specific level in a great many genera.     

The Founder of Plant Taxonomy in China:HU Hsen-Hsu

HU Hsen-Hsu(胡先骕,courtesy name 步曾,Buzeng)was born in Xinjian,Jiangxi Province of China in 1894(Fig.1).He received a bachelor's degree of biology from the Univers...     

Plant Taxonomy Today

A computer program for genetic models which has some useful and labour saving features is described. The program allows students with only a rudimentary knowledge of programming to cope easily with complex genetic models. Some applications of the program are discussed.     

Plant Taxonomy as a Field Study

This largely methodological paper describes the collection of quantitative samples of micro-organisms and the accumulation of physical data from a pond over a year. Examples are given of the manner in which final-year degree students have used some of the materials and data as a basis for ecological projects involving mainly the algae. Students' results and conclusions are illustrated. Apparatus and reagents are described and specified.     

中国磨芋属的分类问题

对中国磨芋属植物进行了订正,已知国产２１种,其中９个为特有种。提出了一个中国磨芋属分种检索表。