201422(4)335 ~ 340

Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany

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1,2, 1*
(1. 5106502. 100049)

(Anemone chapaensis Gagnep.)(A.

howellii J. F. Jeffrey & W. W. Smith)

doi: 10.3969/j.issn.10053395.2014.04.002

The Identity of Anemone chapaensis (Ranunculaceae) from Vietnam

ZHANG Yu1,2, YANG Qin-er1*

(1. Key Laboratory of Plant Resources Conservation and Sustainable Utilization, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
Guangzhou 510650, China; 2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China)

Abstract: Examination of herbarium specimens has shown that Anemone chapaensis Gagnep. (Ranunculaceae)
from Vietnam is conspecific with A. howellii J. F. Jeffrey & W. W. Smith., a species mainly distributed in China.
We therefore reduce A. chapaensis to synonymy of A. howellii.
Key words: Anemone; New synonymy; Ranunculaceae; Taxonomy

Anemone chapaensis Gagnep. (Ranunculaceae)

was described on the basis of one collection, Miville

in the Malesian region, also regarded A. begoniifolia,

A. chapaensis and A. howellii as closely related to each

7 (Fig. 1: A, B), from Sa Pa (= Cha Pa) District, Lao

other. He further pointed out that the three species,

[1]

Cai Province, northern Vietnam . In the protologue,

which are geographically restricted in Yunnan and its

the author, Gagnepain, compared the species with

neighboring southern and southwestern mountains,

A. begoniifolia H. Lv. and A. howellii J. F. Jeffrey

& W. W. Smith, two species mainly distributed in

. He stated that A. chapaensis

differs from A. begoniifolia by: (1) the sepals nearly
glabrous; (2) the anther elliptic-oblong; (3) the achene

southwestern China

[24]

abruptly contracted into an inconspicuous and slightly

are different mainly in the flower number in the

inflorescence, the length of the fruiting pedicel, and
the pubescence of leaves, and that more material should
be examined to determine their differentiation at
species level.

According to Ziman et al.[6], Anemone chapaensis

not setose-ciliate; (2) the involucre 4 5 times larger;

is most similar to A. howellii, but differs in the tepal

size (10 15 mm vs. 8 10 mm), color (white vs.

(3) the pedicels 5 9, rarely 3 4; (4) the anther 1/3

reddish-white), and venation (anastomosing veins

longer.

more than 10 vs. anastomosing veins absent), and in

the basal leaf size (3 5 cm 3 5 cm vs. 4 8 cm

recurved beak, and from A. howellii by: (1) the leaves

Eichler , when dealing with the genus Anemone L.

[5]

Recieved20130911Accepted20131015
This study was supported by the Main Direction Program of Knowledge Innovation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (KSCX2-EW-Z-1).
* Corresponding author. E-mail: qeyang@scib.ac.cn

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Fig. 1 Anemone howellii from Vietnam. A: Lai Cai, Cha Pa (= Sa Pa), Miville 7 (P, holotype of A. chapaensis); B: Miville 7 (P, isotype of A.
chapaensis); C: The same locality, Petelot 2196 (P); D: The same locality, Petelot 3198 (P).

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4 7 cm).

Geographically, Sa Pa, the type locality of Anemone

chapaensis, is most closely adjacent to Hekou, Pingbian,

Maguan, Malipo, Xichou and Wenshan counties in

southeastern Yunnan Province, China, where A. howellii

occurs (Fig. 2). The rich material of A. howellii currently

available for examination allows us to have a better
understanding of the morphological variation of
this species. Its key morphological characters are
summarized in Table 1.

Fig. 2 Distribution of Anemone howellii in China () and Vietnam () (the type locality of A. chapaensis).
Table 1 Comparison of key morphological characters for Anemone howellii and A. chapaensis
A. howellii

Character

A. chapaensis

Habit

Acaulescent rosette of leaves

Acaulescent rosette of leaves

Perennating structure

Short rhizomes

Short rhizomes

Height (cm)

15 48

28 53

Leaf shape

Cordate-ovate or cordate

Cordate-ovate or cordate

Basal leaf size (cm)

39 38

39 38

Leaf blade pubescence (adaxial surface)

Sparsely to densely strigose

Sparsely to densely strigose

Leaf blade pubescence (abaxial surface)

Sparsely strigose

Sparsely strigose

Petiole pubescence

Sparsely pubescent

Sparsely pubescent

Involucre size (mm)

8 18

10 20

Pedicel number (flower number)

29

3 13

Sepal number

Sepal size (mm)

9 13

10 15

Sepal color

Often white, rarely reddish-white

White

Sepal venation

Anastomosing veins more than 10

Anastomosing veins more than 10

Anther shape

Ellipsoid

Ellipsoid

Anther size (mm)

0.9 1.4

ca. 1.5

Achene

Glabrous, with a slightly recurved beak

Glabrous, with a slightly recurved beak

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Fig. 3 Anemone howellii from China. A: Yunnan, Tongchong, Howell 110 (E, holotype); B: Yunnan, Wenshan, H. T. Tsai 58-8227 (KUN); C: Yunnan,
Pingbian, P. Y. Mao 4287 (KUN); D: Yunnan, Maguan, H. T. Tsai 51874 (PE).

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Fig. 4 Anemone begoniifolia. A: China, Guizhou, Dushan, Cavalerie 2600 (E, holotype); B: China, Guizhou, Dushan, Cavalerie 2600 (P, isotype); C:
China, Chongqing, Nanchuan, Z. Y. Liu 15391 (PE); D: China, Chongqing, Nanchuan, Jinfoshan Exped. 0931 (PE).

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Our examination of the specimens of Anemone

howellii from Yunnan against those of A. chapaensis

22

which has 6-colpate pollen grains, is also distinct from

from Vietnam has shown that the two species should

A. begoniifolia, which has pantoporate pollen grains .

Additional specimens examined: China: Yunnan:

belong to the same taxonomic entity. They are not

Maguan, Q. A. Wu 8594 (KUN), H. T. Tsai 51874 (KUN,

essentially different from each other in any characters

NAS, PE); Malipo, K. M. Feng 22831 (IBSC, KUN),

[6]

Y. Z. Wang 4177 (PE); Pingbian, P. Y. Mao 4287

(Table 1; Figs. 1, 3). For example, Ziman et al.

emphasized that A. chapaensis has white tepals

whereas A. howellii has reddish-white tepals, but
actually A. howellii also often has white tepals. We also

found that tepals in A. howellii, just like those in A.

chapaensis, always have 10 15 anastomosing veins.
Their leaf size is identical, being 3 9 cm 3 8 cm.

Based on the above analyses, we regard it justifiable

to reduce Anemone chapaensis to the synonymy of A.

howellii.

Anemone howellii J. F. Jeffrey & W. W. Smith

in Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 9: 78. 1916;

[7]

(KUN); Wenshan, K. M. Feng 11299 (PE, KUN),

22033 (IBSC, KUN), H. T. Tsai 51762 (IBSC, KUN,
PE), 58-8227 (KUN); Without precise locality, SinoUSSR Yunnan Exped. 3563 (KUN, PE), Y. M. Sui
2167 (KUN); Xichou, Anonymous s.n. (KUN), S.

Z. Wang 653 (KUN, LBG). Guizhou: Anlong, Z. S.

Zhang & Y. T. Chang 2913 (IBSC, PE), Y. Zhang & M.

Tang 87 (IBSC); Libo, M. Tang & J. P. Luo 24 (IBSC),

Z. R. Xu L1337 (IBSC), L1243 (IBSC). Vietnam:

Lai Cai: Cha Pa, Petelot 2196 (P), 3197 (P), 3198 (P).

AcknowledgmentsWe are grateful to the curators of E,

W. T. Wang in Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 28: 25.

1980; W. T. Wang in Fl. Yunnan. 11: 189. 2000; W.

IBSC, K, KUN, LBG, NAS, P, and PE for the permission to use

2001; Ziman et al. in J. Jpn. Bot. 83: 150. 2008. Type:

References

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A. begoniifolioides W. T. Wang in Acta Phytotax.

Sin. 12:167. 1974. Type: China. Yunnan: Wenshan,
in mixed forests, 2300 m a.s.l., 17 Aug. 1947, K. M.
Feng 11299 (holotype: PE!).

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Soc Bot France, 1929, 76(2): 315316.
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Notes. In gross morphology, Anemone howellii

is readily distinguishable from A. begoniifolia (Fig. 4)
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or indistinctly 3 5-lobed). Palynologically, A. howellii,

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