| Abstract: | Abstract 1. It was observed that somatic chromosome numbers of four species of the genusPanax L. are as follows: Panax japonicus 2n=24, P. notoginseng 2n=24, P. ginseng2n=44 and P. quinquefolius 2n=48. The somatic chromosome numbers of P. japonicusfrom Lushan and Jinggangshan (Jiangxi Province, China) is different from that ofJapanese population (2n=48). The chromosome numbers (2n=24) of P. notoginseng isfirst reported. 2. The P. japonicus, one of the diploid species, which has the widest geographicaldistribution is perhaps the more primitive type among the living species of Panax.While, the P. ginseng and P. quinquefolius, the tetraploid species, are more advancedtypes than the diploid species. The conclusion from cytotaxonomy is thus differentfrom that of chemical taxonomy. 3. The cytological analysis together with the geographic distribution of this fourspecies shows that the Southwestern China is the modern distribution center, also themost variational center, and perhaps the center of origin for the genus Panax L. |
