A PRELIMINARY SURVEY AND COMMENTS ON FUTURE STUDIES OF CHINESE LILIACEAE
Tang Yan-cheng, Liang Song-yun
1983, 3(2):
56-72.
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Although the family Liliaceae is only represented by 54 genera with about 530 indigenous species in China, it is chara-cterized mainly by, first, most species and about four fifths of genera distributing in temperate flora; second, core group (Li-liaceae s. str. of Dahlgren Clifford) such as Lilium, Cardiccri-num, Notholirion, Nomocharis, Fritillaria, Lloydia etc., highly dif-ferentiating; and third, the circumscription of some group, such as Gagea and Llcydia being merged in this country, though rather distinct from one another elsewhere. Needless to say, Chinese Liliaceae may be proved to be a fruitful group in stu-dying the origin and differentiation of East-Asian Flora. After a brief comparison of systematic positions of Chi-nese Liliaceous genera in 4 different systems (Krause 1930;Hutchinson 1934, 1973; Takhtajan 1969, 1980; Dahlgren & Clifford 1982), the authors have made some suggestions on future studies as follows. 1. The probable heterogeneous groups, such as Aspidistreae etc., would need more intensive monographic studies. 2. Groups, highly differentiating in China, such as Lilium, Cardiocrinum, Notholirion, Nomocharis etc, may be selected for biosystematic studies. 3. Genera, such as Milula etc.; still uncertain of systema-tic position would need further studies. 4. Groups, such as Ypsilandra of East Asia and Helonias of N. America, which are primitive in chatacters and disjunct in distribution, may be selected for phytogeographical studies. 5. Groups, such as Paris, Trillium, Cloriosa, Tupistra, Reine-ckea etc., which are or may be chinese medicinal herbs, may be selected for pharmacological and phytochemical studies. 6. Undoubtedly Liliaceae s. 1. is a heterogeneous group.So relatively primitive groups, such as Helonieae, Tofieldieae etc. and groups displaying probably close relationships with other families, e. g. Petrosavia (with Triuridaceae), Hosta (with Agavaceae), Paris and Trillium (with Stemonaceae) etc., may be worth intensively studying for understanding evolutionary tren-ds in Monocotyledons.
