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Bulletin of Botanical Research ›› 1983, Vol. 3 ›› Issue (3): 75-86.

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A NUMERICAL TAXONOMY OF CHINESE RHODODENDRON SUSSECTION LAPPONICA

Yang Han-pi, Xu Ke-xue   

  1. 1. Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Beijing Chinese Rural;
    2. Development and Research Center, Beijing
  • Online:1983-09-15 Published:2016-06-13

Abstract: The present paper is concerned with numerical classifica-tion of Rhododendron Subsect. Lapponica. An original data ma-trix with 45 OTU's 46 characters were recorded. After stan-dardization of charaters, computed the correlation and distan-ce matrices, which are the quantitative representation of the similarity between every pair OTU's and then, carry out the cluster calculation. There are various cluster methods, name ly, single linkage, complete linkage, UPGMA, WPGMA, cen-troid, median, and so on. By means of the synthetic compara-tive coefficients (in Table 3) for the criteria of classification, The WPGMA based on correlation matrix is adapted as a re-sult of this computation. The dendrogram of WPGMA is pre-sented in Figure. I. The results displayed by dendrogram serve to reveal the rule of group classification and evolution, i. e. the Rho-dodendron Subsect. Lapponica can be divided into two groups:Grex Lapponica and Grex Rigida H. P. Yang, Grex nov. 1. On affinity relationship, the characteristics of the scales on lower surface of the leaf has always been attached great importance by many experts. In our dendrogram it is also shown that the colours and density of the scales on lower surface of leaf would be characteristic of affinities among species. 2. Evolutionally, the general tendency of variation in the genus Rhododendron is also evident in this subsection as for example, the calyx lobes are from large to obsolete; stig-ma from long to short; the colour of the scales from pale to darker and the pale coloured scales tend to be widely spaces, and to from irregularly bicoloured ones down to clearly bico-loured ones. 3. Geographically, the Rbododendron Subsect. Lapponica is very rich in species in west Sichuan and north-west Yunnan, accounting for 75.5% of whole subsection, besides almost all of the primitive types are included. The percentage of the endemic species in high up to 64.4%, including most of the primitive and advanced types. Therefore this region is not only the original centre of this subsection, but also the centre of differentiation and development. Ⅱ. The result of numerical classification indicated on the dendrogram is generelly in concord with that of the classical taxonomy.