Sillaphyton, a new genus of the Umbelliferae, endemic to the Korean Peninsula
Sillaphyton, a monotypic Korean genus, is described here for the first time. The new genus, based on the rare species Peucedanum podagraria H. Boissieu P. insolens Kitag. is clearly distinct from Peucedanum s. str. (P. officinale L. and its closest relatives) as well as from Peucedanum s. l. segregate genera in fruit and leaf characters, as well as in nrDNA ITS sequence data. The carpological differences relate to the pericarp structure and secretory system. On the other hand, ac cor ding to molecular data Sillaphyton appeared to be closer to Arcuatopterus Sheh Men glan Shan Renhwa than to Peucedanum and any its segregates. Arcuatopterus, de scribed as the Chinese endemics, belonging to Peucedaneae, now numbers six species of SinoHimalayan distribution. The latter differs from Sillaphyton in a set of morphological and carpoanatomical characters. K e y w o r d s Apiaceae, Eastern Asia, fruit anatomy, nrDNA ITS, Korea, morphology, taxonomy, Peucedanum, Arcuatopterus