A PRELOMINARY NUMERICAL CLASSIFICATION ON INFRAENERIC TAXA OF THE CHONESE ACONITUM

In this paper, 50 species and varieties of the genus Aconitum found in China were studied and classified by means of the numerical taxonomy. 60 of the total characters were elected for this study, 46 being morphological, 8 chemical, 5 histological and 1 ecological. The correlation coefficients were computed based on the standardized data, and the clustering method was performed. On The correlation matrix, the UPGMA clustering method was selected as the optimal one and the result was shown in the form of dendrogram.We present a simple method to construct the combined lines by the determined boundary of the taxa i. e. varieties, series and subgenera in the dendrogram.As result, the following taxonomic treatments are proposed. The Q cluster analysis showed that chinese Aconitum as a whole may be divided into two groups: 1 and 2 subgeneric level. Group 1 includes Subgen. Paraconitum while group 2 includes Subgen. Aconitum and Subgen. Gymnaconitum. Since. the viewpoint of the three subgenera in genus Aconitum has been widely accepted, however, the correlation coefficient between Subgen. Aaconitum and subgen. Gymnaconitum was found to be-0.048, we recommended that Gymnaconitum may still be treated as subgeneric level and much more closer to the Subgen. Aconitum. The group 1 contains three series: A, B, and C, which are roughly corresponded to the Subgen. Paraconitum Sect. Lycoctonum, Subgen. Aconitum Ser. Bullatifolia and Ser. Tangutica (incl. Ser. Rotunfifolia) respectively. The group 2 contains eight series: D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K, D is corresponded to Ser. Grandituberosa, Eroughly to the Ser. Brachypoda, H to the Ser. Inflata, I and J to the Ser. Stplosa, while K in accordance with Ser. Volubile by the classic classification.In gencral, we agree Prof. Wang Wen-tsai's system of chinese Aconitum presented in FLORA REIPUBLICAE POPULARIS SINICAE VOL. 27. And several infrageneric taxa were proposed some exchanges by this study.