This research describes six new viola species and reinstates two, suggesting complex evolutionary relationships.
We describe six new species and reinstate two species of Viola (Violaceae) from China, based on material collected in Guangxi, Jiangxi, Hubei, and Chongqing. Field surveys, detailed morphological comparisons, and phylogenetic analyses of ITS and GPI gene sequences placed these taxa within section Plagiostigma subsections Diffusae. The GPI data provided higher resolution, revealing complex relationships and suggesting ancient hybridization or incomplete lineage sorting in subsect. Diffusae. Our findings clarify species boundaries and contribute to understanding the diversity and evolution of Viola in China.
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Huang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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