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Author Topic: Distinguishing taxa in Hepatica  (Read 4328 times)

Rodger Whitlock

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Distinguishing taxa in Hepatica
« on: March 04, 2010, 06:54:58 PM »
Combing through endless web pages, including discussions here, I've come up with a list of putative Hepatica species, most of which have also been classed as botanical variaties of H. nobilis:

H. acutiloba (H. nobilis acuta)
H. americana (H. nobilis obtusa)
H. asiatica (H. nobilis asiatica)
H. glabrata (H. nobilis glabrata)
H. henryi (H. yamatutai)
H. insularis (H. nobilis insularis)
H. japonica (H. nobilis japonica)
H. maxima
H. × media (H. × intermedia)
H. nobilis (H. triloba)
H. pubescens (H. nobilis pubescens)
H. pyrenaica (H. nobilis pyrenaica)
H. transsilvanica (H. transsylvanica, H. angulosa)


[This list omits the various formas.]

What are the botanico-anatomical distinctions between these taxa? In other words, if I have an unnamed hepatica in front of me, how can I figure out which of these taxa it belongs to?  Or are many of these taxa only to be distinguished by their provenance?


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Gerhard Raschun

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Re: Distinguishing taxa in Hepatica
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2010, 07:41:52 PM »

I miss Hepatica falconeri ( T. Thomson) YUZ (MC) on your list. There are also some new hybrids......

I haven`t found a key for the determination. Mayby one reason is, that the different species are distributed over continents.

Michio Tamura has published an articel, where he described the classification of genus Hepatica too: " Morphologie, ecology and phylogeny of the Ranunculaceae" Science reports of South College, Nort College of Oska University, Japan 16:21-43, 1968

But I`m sure, since 1968 the classification has changed several times.......

Combing through endless web pages, including discussions here, I've come up with a list of putative Hepatica species, most of which have also been classed as botanical variaties of H. nobilis:

H. acutiloba (H. nobilis acuta)
H. americana (H. nobilis obtusa)
H. asiatica (H. nobilis asiatica)
H. glabrata (H. nobilis glabrata)
H. henryi (H. yamatutai)
H. insularis (H. nobilis insularis)
H. japonica (H. nobilis japonica)
H. maxima
H. × media (H. × intermedia)
H. nobilis (H. triloba)
H. pubescens (H. nobilis pubescens)
H. pyrenaica (H. nobilis pyrenaica)
H. transsilvanica (H. transsylvanica, H. angulosa)


[This list omits the various formas.]

What are the botanico-anatomical distinctions between these taxa? In other words, if I have an unnamed hepatica in front of me, how can I figure out which of these taxa it belongs to?  Or are many of these taxa only to be distinguished by their provenance?





Gerhard
....from the South of Austria, near the border to Slovenia

www.cypripedium.at

Afloden

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Re: Distinguishing taxa in Hepatica
« Reply #2 on: March 06, 2010, 02:24:44 PM »
Here is how I would separate them at least in a quick writeup. Their are other differences; pistil shape, number, and pubescence, leaf pubescence, ecology, stamen/filament ratio and color (?), ..... Some of the other names (glabrata, pyrenaica) may just be extremes of clinal variation. H. pubescens from Japan I think may be valid, it is a tetraploid and therefore should be crossable with the members of Angulatae. Then again some people place them all in Anemone.... The two North American species are distinct from one another and from H. nobilis.

 Leaves trilobed, margins mostly entire (occasionaly 2-3 crenate).........
           Plants large, leaves 5-10cm....
                  Leaf apices acute.......H. acutlioba (2n=14)
                  Leaf apices obtuse.....H.maxima (2n=14)
           Plants smaller.....
                  Leaves small 2-3 cm, pubescent, highly maculate..........H. insularis (2n=14)
                  Leaves larger, usually not heavily maculate, but occasional populations heavy, leaves mostly glabrous to glabrate  
                  Petals spatulate,
                     Petals pale blues, purples, and white stigmans red in a single population (so far) (NA).............H. americana (2n=14)
                     Petals white, stigmas often red (Japan) .................. H. pubescens (2n=28)
                  Petals elliptic.................
                      Japan, Korea, eastern China.............H. japonica (and asiatica)  (2n=14)
                      Europe.........................................H. nobilis (2n=14)
  Leaves 5-7 lobed..............
       Leaves deeply lobed, nearly to petiole (Pakistan and Kashmir)...........H. falconeri (2n=28)
       Leaves not deeply lobed....
           Lobes acute to subacute, bracts bifid to trifid occasionly(petals often pink abaxially)(China)............................. H. yamatutai (2n=28)
           Lobes mucronulate to obtuse, margin crenate.....
                    Leaves small, mostly crenate, petals frequently bifid to trifidly crenate at apex (China) ........H. henryi (2n=28)
                    Leaves larger, mostly crenate, petals usually blue (Carpathians)............................H. transilvanica (2n=28)

 Transilvanica is also rhizomatous and is the only one that is from my observations. It would be great for hybridizing with tetraploid forms of acutlioba and others (time to get out the colchicine in the lab).

 Steussy et al. have a paper on the phylogeny of Hepatica, but I have yet to see it even though it says its published on Google Scholar!

 Aaron Floden

« Last Edit: March 06, 2010, 08:00:04 PM by Afloden »
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Gunhild Poulsen

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Re: Distinguishing taxa in Hepatica
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2010, 09:17:07 PM »
I newly got a Hepatica called nobilis x bolangerii. I can't find any description or even the name anywhere - can anyone help me?
Best wishes
Gunhild

 


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