KARYOTYPE ASYMMETRY IN GALTONIA AND PSEUDOGALTONIA (HYACINTHACEAE)

Abstract

The karyotype of a recently described species of Galtonia (Hyacinthaceae), G. regalis, is described and its cytotaxonomic relationship to other members of the genus examined. Since conflicting cytological patterns for the genus exist in the literature, the chromosome compositions of the three other species, G. candicans, G. princeps and G. viridiflora, are re-investigated. This study demonstrates that the karyotype of Galtonia is uniformly asymmetrical and distinctively trimodal, with 2n=16. Also included in this investigation is the allied monotypic genus Pseudogaltonia. Its karyotype is also asymmetrical, but differs from Galtonia in its chromosome number of 2n=18, and in certain other features.