Heteropolygonatum alternicirrhosum, Handel-Mazzetti (1936:, 1209

Floden, Aaron J., 2014, New names in Heteropolygonatum (Asparagaceae), Phytotaxa 188 (4), pp. 218-226 : 222

Heteropolygonatum alternicirrhosum (Hand.-Mazz.) Floden, comb. nov.

Basionym: Polygonatum alternicirrhosum Handel-Mazzetti (1936: 1209) . Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: S.: Kalkschutt in der str. t. ober Lumapu im Seitentale des Yalung gegen Yenyüen , 27° 40’, 1750 m, 10 May 1914, Handel-Mazzetti 2108 (holotype W!; isotypes E!, GH!)

= Polygonatum racemosum Wang & Tang (1937: 286) . Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Tung Valley , June 1904, Wilson 4667 (holotype K!; isotypes BM!, PE!).

Distribution:— China, Sichuan.

Taxonomic relationships:—Handel-Mazzetti (1936) and Tang (1937) both considered this species as the intermediate between the alternate leaved clade of Polygonatum and the verticillate species, some of which, like this species, have cirrhose leaf apices. This species is similar in appearance and probably closely related to the sympatric Heteropolygonatum pendulum ( Liu & Hu 1984: 426) Tamura & Ogisu (1997: 951) , but that species differs in its long falcate leaves, inflorescences held horizontally, and the plants strictly pendent (Tamura et al. 1997). Chen (1989) reported a chromosome number and karyotype of this species from Luding, Sichuan as 2n = 32. Zhao et al. (2014) reported two additional counts from Kanding which match the previous in number and karyotype. Both studies reported karyotypes that are distinctly bimodal with 5 pairs of longer subterminal chromosomes and the remaining eleven distinctly shorter and metacentric. This species is known from only a few collections all from a limited area along the Dadu River.

Other specimens examined:— CHINA. Sichuan: Luding County, Dadu cable bridge, 2 May 1974 , Sichuan Veg. Team 6802 ( CDBI!); Daocheng County, Kahn , 2 June 1971 , Liu 0091 ( CDBI!); Kanding County , April 1974 , Y. Wu & Q. Zhao 110850 ( CDBI!) .