Abstract: This paper describes for the first time the karyomorphology of 4 populations of 2 species of Nannoglottis Maxim. s. l. The two species both show the resting nuclei of the complex chromocenter type and the mitotic prophase chromosomes of the interstitial type. The karyotype formula of N. gynura is 2n = 18 = 14m + 2sm + 2st(SAT) in two populations while that of N. carpesioides is 2n = 18 = 14m + 2sm(2SAT) + 2st in two populations. The two species under study represent two sections of Nannoglottis s. l. N. gynura, the only species of sect. Stenolepis, is considered as the most primitive member of the genus. Accordingly, the basic chromosome number of the genus might be x＝9. Karyomorphological data indicate that Nannoglottis should be placed in the tribe Astereaerather than in the Inuleae and the Senecioneae.

Key words: Nannoglottis Maxim., Karyomorphology, Tribal classification