Taxonomic reconsideration
Cerasus serrulata , a complex with ample variations and transition
phenotypes some of which are morphologically specialized in the process
of diversification by specific environments, has brought about taxonomic
controversies. Here, C. xueluoensis , published in 2013 (Nan et
al., 2013), treated as an outgroup in this study, was totally mixed up
with haplotypes or ribotypes of C. serrulata in cladograms built
by both cpDNA and ITS sequences (Figure 3, Figure 6). To further discuss
the relationship between C. xueluoensis and C. serrulata ,
more wild related species were added to rebuild the cladograms based on
ITS sequences. This time, C. xueluoensis was separated from the
clade formed by all ribotypes of C. serrulata (Figure 9).
However, more adequate and accurate information is needed to define the
interrelationship between C. xueluoensis and C. serrulata .
Interestingly, C. serrulata var. lannesiana was
significantly detached from C. serrulata in this tree (Figure 9),
supporting its treatment as C. lannesiana . C. laoshanensispublished in 2017 was described to resemble C. serrulata (Zang,
2017). Nevertheless, population LaoS in this study representing C.
laoshanensis , showed no specificity from C. serrulataindividuals in any relationship analysis. Thus, it was endorsed to mergeC. laoshanensis into C. serrulata . Besides, C.
huangangensis , a record in 2007 (Yi, 2007), represented by population
HGS which showed distinctiveness as exclusively possessed only one kind
of haplotype or ribotype both in cpDNA and ITS (Figure 1, Figure 4),
also within the big clade in both trees of C. serrulata , is ought
to treated as C. serrulata var. huangangensis .