基于“居群”概念的淫羊藿属疑难类群分类学研究及DELTA描述

Epimedium L. is a group with more than 50 species that taxonomically difficult and controversial. Due to the wide range of intra-specific variation and overlapping between inter-species, the morphological taxonomical identification is confusing and there are many insufficient know species and/or species complex. After careful thought and more than a decade of research, we found that the lacking of extensive investigation and substantial evidence is the fundamental cause. Nearly half the species were described from a small number of cultivated individuals that brought to foreign countries (eg. England, America and Japan) from China. Based on the previous research works of this project and on the concept of "population", it is the most important to seize the essence of species, namely, the species is composed of some discontinuous populations. Therefore, extensive populations that cover the geographic distribution of the species will be investigated, sampled and common garden cultivated. Combined with the field population survey (including morphological characters and ecological environmental factors), characters observation of specimen and cultivated populations, and analysis of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprint spectrum, it will not only help to understand 1) the range of variation, variation patterns and taxonomic values, 2) the relationship between morphological variation and ecological environment, and 3) the evolution of species and subsequent speciation, but also help to improve the taxonomic revision and to propose a reasonable classification system. And use the DELTA (description language for taxonomy) system, a computer information processing tool for taxonomic description, which is designated as the international data exchage standard by the International Working Group on Taxonomic Databases, the natural-language descriptions producing, interactive identification and classification information management of Epimedium will be achieved. These results will be benefit for the utilization of the important resources of Chinese medicinal materials and ornamental horticulture.

淫羊藿属是分类学上难以处理的类群，种内变异广泛，种间界限模糊不清，属下分类和种的界定十分困难，存在诸多存疑种和存疑复合种。本课题组经过十余年研究、思考和总结，发现其根本原因是大多数物种缺乏广泛深入的性状调查，如近半数物种的命名是依据少量异国栽培植株。本项目拟在前期工作基础上，基于"居群"概念，抓住物种由间断居群组成的本质，以覆盖疑难类群分布区的广泛居群为研究对象，结合标本室观测、野外居群调查（含形态性状和生态环境因子）、同园栽培性状对比研究和HPLC指纹图谱分析，深入调查其性状变异幅度和变异式样，分析其分类价值，探讨变异与相关生态环境的联系，揭示物种的分化、形成和进化历程,完善其分类学修订,提出淫羊藿属自然的属下分类系统,并利用国际分类学描述信息处理工具DELTA (Description Language for Taxonomy) 进行描述，为重要中药资源和园艺种质资源的利用提供依据。

以淫羊藿属存疑种和存疑复合种为研究对象，结合标本观测、野外居群调查、同园栽培性状对比和指纹图谱分析，广泛调查其形态变异范围、变异式样和分类价值，提出淫羊藿属自然的属下分类系统，完善其分类学修订并利用国际分类学描述信息处理工具DELTA (Description Language for Taxonomy) 进行描述，为重要中药资源和园艺种质资源的利用提供依据。目前为止，淫羊藿属中国分布的类群共报道有58类群（含2亚种1变种），中国是淫羊藿属的现代分布中心和多样性中心，90%以上的物种为中国特有，但近一半的物种为外国研究者命名（其中Stearn命名了17种）。查阅国内主要标本馆标本2000余号，查阅英国皇家植物园（KEW）22个物种的模式标本。在全面文献考证和标本查阅的基础上，野外资源调查和形态观测共获得47类群共136个居群的样本。对所获样本的成熟叶片进行指纹图谱分析和质量评价。综合标本、野外性状、同园栽培性状数据，进行变异幅度和变异式样分析，重点对箭叶淫羊藿复合体、木鱼坪淫羊藿复合体、淫羊藿属无距类型、粗毛淫羊藿与绿药淫羊藿疑难类群进行了修订。对新发表类群天门山淫羊藿进行了花部特征的修订。基于淫羊藿属广泛的野外调查和观测，发现至少5种淫羊藿，即粗毛淫羊藿、黔岭淫羊藿、少花淫羊藿、直距淫羊藿和腺毛淫羊藿具有丰富的花色变异，对淫羊藿属的分类和进化研究具有重要意义，对淫羊藿属作为观赏植物的利用和开发提供支撑。最后，运用DELTA系统对中国淫羊藿属44个类群（不包括亚种和变种）的58个性状进行分类学描述，获得中国淫羊藿属植物分类学描述和分类性状列表。