| Leycesteria Wall. is a Sino-Himalayan endemic genus of Caprifoliaceae, easily distinguished from the other genera of Caprifoliaceae by its shrubby habit, fistular stem and branches, five persistent sepals, almost actinomorphic corolla that is gibbous above the base of the tube, nectariferous petal bases, exserted stigma, five-locular ovary, and a fleshy fruit with numerous minute seeds. Eight species of Leycesteria can be distinguished using morphological characters. A new combination is proposed for Leycesteria psilostyla, distinguished from L. glaucophylla by its glabrous style, included stigma, and dense pubescence on the lower surface of lamina of the leaf. A full taxonomic treatment, keys and geographical maps of the recognized species are provided. All accepted and synonyms have been typified. Leycesteria psilostyla, L. stipulata and L. glaucophylla are illustrated. Taxonomic structure within the Leycesteria formosa is assessed using cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). Analysis of 21 morphological characters extracted from 66 population samples failed to disclose groups of populations that were morphological distinguishable and geographically coherent. I concluded that this species could not be divided into intraspecific taxa in any meaningful fashion. |
