Abstract

The Chinese endemic Polygonum schischkinii was studied from both morphological and molecular points of view. On the basis of the structure of ocreas and ocreolas, P. schischkinii appears to be a member of the genus Atraphaxis. The results of Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian analyses of combined data of the plastid [rpl32-trnL(UAG) IGS, trnL(UAA) intron, trnL-trnF IGS] and nuclear rDNA ITS1–2 regions, carried out on 61 members of tribe Polygoneae, confirmed position of P. schischkinii in the Atraphaxis clade. A new combination—Atraphaxis glareosa—based on P. glareosum, which has nomenclatural priority over P. schischkinii, is proposed. Ecological notes and a detailed distributional map of the species are also provided.