Abstract
To classify the species of Pedicularis ser. Verticillatae Maxim. (Orobanchaceae) in Taiwan, phylogeographic analyses using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) and trnK (partial) regions of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) were performed. It was determined that the Taiwanese populations formed a single strongly-supported clade with P. refracta (Maxim.) Maxim., an endemic of Kyushu, Japan. Little genetic variation between the Taiwanese populations and P. refracta was detected. Morphological analyses showed that the Taiwanese populations and P. refracta differed in three key characteristics: corolla length, distance between the rachis and the sinuses of the pinnae, and plant height. It was concluded that the Taiwanese populations should be treated as a variety of P. refracta (Kyushu populations); P. refracta var. transmorrisonensis (Hayata) Hurus. (lectotypified here). In addition, the phylogeographic analyses suggested that the disjunct distribution pattern between Taiwan and Kyushu was due to Quaternary vicariance events rather than to long distance dispersal of seeds.
