Abstract: This paper reports chromosome numbers and karyotypes of five species of the genus Fritillaria from south Anhui. The origin of the material used in this work is provided in Table 1, micrographs of mitotic metaphase in Plate 1,2, and the parameters of chromosomes in Table 2. Except F. thunbergii Miq., the karyotypes and chromosome numbers of all the species in this paper were studied for the first time. The results are shown as follows: 1. Fritillaria qimenensis D. C. Zhang et J. Z. Shao Collected from Qimen, Anhui, it has the karyotype formula 2n = 24+4Bs = 3m+lsm+8st (2sc)+12t (2sc)+4Bs (Plate 1:1, 2). The chromosomes range in length 8.72-19.13μm, with the ratio of the longest to the shortest 2.19. Therefore, the karyotype belongs to Stebbins’ (1971) 3B. The secondary constrictions are found on the long arms of 7th and 10th pairs. All the five B-chromosomes are of terminal centromeres. The two chromosomes of the second pair show heteromorphy (Fig. 1, E) with arm ratios 1.86 and 1.56 respectively. 2. Fritillaria monantha Miq. var. tonglingensis S. C. Chen et S. F. Yin Collected from Tongling, Anhui, this species is shown to have three chromosome numbers, 2n =24+5Bs, 2n=24+2Bs and 2n=24. This paper reports 2 cytotypes: Type I: 2n = 24+5Bs = 4m+8st (2sc) +12t (2sc) +5Bs (Plate 1: 3, 4). The chromosomes range in length from 10.40 to 22.19μm, with the ratio of the longest to the shortest 2.13. It belongs to 3B of stebbins’(1971) karyotypic symmetry. The secondary constrictions are found on the short arms of 7th and the long arms of 9th chromosome pairs. The metacentric B-chromosomes and the small satellites located on the short arms are major characters of this cytotype. Type II: 2n=24=2m+2sm+8st(2sc)+12t(2sc) (Plate 1:5, 6). The chromosomes range in length from 13.84 to 29.81μm, with the ratio of the longest to the shortest 2.15. The karyotype belongs to Stebbins’3B. The secondary constrictions are found on the long arms of 5th and 10th pairs. No B-chromosomes are found. 3. Fritillaria xiaobeimu Y. K. Yang, J. Z. Shao et M. M. Fang Collected from Ningguo, Anhui, it has karyotype formula 2n = 24 = 2m+2sm+10st (4sc) + 10t (Plate 2:7, 8). The chromosomes range in length from 13.86 to 26.27μm, with the ratio of the longest to the shortest 1.89. The karyotype belongs to stebbins’3A. The secondary constrictions are found on the long arms of 7th and 9th pairs. 4. Fritillaria ningguoensis S. C. Chen et S. F. Yin Collected from Ningguo, Anhui, it is of karyotype formula 2n = 24 = 2m+2sm+8st (2sc) +12t (Plate 2: 9, 10). The chromosomes range in length from 9.11 to 23.23μm, with the ratio of the longest to the shortest 2.55. The karyotype belongs to Stebbins’3B. The secondary constrictions are only found on the long arms of the 10 th pair. 5. Fritillaria thunbergii Miq. Collected from Ningguo, Anhui, it is of karyotype formula 2n = 24 = 2m+2sm+8st(2sc) +12t(2sc)(Plate 2:11, 12). The chromosomes range in length from 8.83 to 19.85μm, with the ratio of the longest to the shortest 2.25. The karyotype belongs to stebbins’3B. There are secondary constrictions on the long arms of 5th and 7th pairs. The karyotype of the Ningguo material is similar to that of the Huoqiu (Anhui) material reported by Xu Jin-lin et al. (1987), but it is obviously different from 2n=2m(sc)+2sm+4st(2sc)+16t (2sc) reported byZhai et al. (1985) for the material from Xingjiang, Northwest China.

Key words: Karyotype, Cytotaxonomy, Fritillaria, B-chromosome, Anhui