Abstract:

The author has been engaged in taxonomic research for 60 years, from Flora of China to world monographs, and has been recognized both at home and abroad. During this process, the author has realized that a complete and reasonable research method is of vital importance. Taxonomy is a highly comprehensive discipline, involving almost all branches of biology, among which morphology, palynology, cytology, genetics, molecular biology and statistics are indispensable. Taking the research on the genus Paeonia (Paeoniaceae) and the genus Codonopsis (Campanulaceae) and their related groups as examples, the author has applied all the above-mentioned disciplines, emphasizing that field investigation and statistical analysis are indispensable research methods. Only through field investigation can necessary experimental materials be obtained and between the population polymorphism and interspecific differences be distinguished; only through statistical analysis can intraspecific variations and genetic isolation be differentiated. The rise of molecular systematics has brought taxonomy into a brand-new era, and taxonomists must recognize and learn it. My team has applied it in the above two studies and achieved unexpected results. My feeling is that high-level research must be based on complete scientific methods.

Key words: taxonomy, species delimitation, method, field investigation, statistical analysis, molecular phylogeny, Paeonia, Campanulaceae