Chromosome numbers of some species of Salvia (Lamiaceae) from the Sichuan Province, China

The present study reports the chromosome number of 12 accessions belonging to 10 species of Salvia from the Sichuan Province in China. Most accessions have the chromosome number 2n=2x=16. However, three species (S. evansiana, S. przewalskii and S. brevilabra) are tetraploid with a chromosome number of 2n=4x=32. A B-chromosome was observed in S. tricuspis. The basic chromosome number x=8 was inferred for all accessions studied. The chromosome number of all the species was determined for the first time, except for S. evansiana, S. przewalskii, S. flava and S. miltiorrhiza. The chromosomes in this genus are mostly small (0.46-2.94 mu m). The small size of the chromosomes, together with their unclear centromeres, has hampered a detailed karyotype analysis.