Chromosome numbers and morphology in 22 populations belonging to 11 taxa of Aconitum subgenus Lycoctonum (Ranunculaceae) from China were studied. Some taxa were diploid, with 2 n = 16, but four species and two varieties were found to be tetraploid, with 2 n = 32. They are concentrated in the Hengduan Mountains region in south-west China, indicating that polyploidy could have played an important role in the speciation of the subgenus in this region, one of the areas of the world with a high concentration of endemic species. The relationships of some of the species are discussed.
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