Abstract: This paper reports the chromosome number and morphology of 8 species of the genus Aspidistra from China. The chromosome number of six species is reported for the first time. The results are as follows: 2n = 2x = 36 = 18m + 2sm(2sat) + 16st for A. ebianensis; 2n = 2x = 36 = 14m + 6sm(2sat) + 16st for A. yingjiangensis; 2n = 2x = 36 = 20m(2sat) + 14st + 2t for A. hainanensis; 2n=2x=36= 16m + 4sm(2sat) + 16st for A. saxicola; 2n ＝ 2x ＝ 36 ＝ 18m+ 2sm(2sat) + 16st for A. muricata; 2n = 2x = 38 = 22m+4sm(2sat) + 12st for A. marginella; 2n = 4x = 76 = 48m (4sat) +2sm+26st for A. xilinensis; 2n = 4x = 76 = 46m(4sat) + 12sm+ 18st for A. cruciformis. All the karyotypes are bimodal and belong to Stebbins’2C type. A. cruciformis and A. xilinensis are the only two tetraploid species found in Aspidistra up to date. Based on our results and those previously reported,we consider that the karyotypes of the genus Aspidistra might have evolved towards the increase of symmetry by the increase of median-centromeric chromosomes in the chromosome complement and the basic chromosome number x = 18 might be primitive, while x = 19 derived.

Key words: Aspidistra, Chromosome number, Karyotype, Evolution