Abstract
Primula reinii (Primulaceae) is found on wet shaded rocky cliffs in the mountains of Japan. The primrose comprises four varieties; three of these varieties—vars. reinii, rhodotricha, and kitadakensis—are found on the Chichibu Mountains, Saitama Prefecture. The taxonomic treatment of the species found on Mt. Ryokami is still uncertain owing to morphological variability. We conducted molecular phylogenetic analyses based on chloroplast sequences to elucidate the taxonomic treatment of P. reinii collected from the mountain. The primrose was clearly identified as var. reinii in our well-resolved phylogenetic trees. Our study provides baseline information for the endangered primrose towards conservation in the future.
