Abstract: pedicularis is one of the largest genera of the angiosperms and plays an important role in the flora of the province of Yunnan. Following Tsoong 's system there are 151 species in 72 series of 13 groups (as"grexes")now recognized within the genus in Yunnan.These represemt 64 3% of the series and 100% of the groups of China,respectively. The floristic characteristics of pedicularis in Yunnan may be summarized as follows:(1)The numder of species is rich,constituting 25%of the world's total and 42.6% of the Chinese total.(2)All four corlla types are found within the province,24 species havetoothless corollas,24 have toothed corollas,87.species have short-tubed,beaked corollas,and 16 species have corollas of the long-tubed, beaked tupe The intermediate form,i.e. the species with short-tubed and beaked corollas,is particularly diversified.Almost all major floral evlutionary stages of the genus can de traced in various parts of Yunnan.(3)Althiugh the species of pedicularis are distributed in all eleven floris-tic areas.They are most abundant in the Sikang-Tibetan sudregion,which contains 71.5% of Yunnan's total number of species.lt seems clear that the Hengduan Mountains and the East Himalaya Yunnsn ate the cen-ters of modern distribution and are also the centers of diversification of thes genus.(4)There arre 8 series and 52 species endemic to Yunnan,which are mostly distributed in the Hengduan Mountains and the East Himal-aya.(5)There are some 30 species of pedicularis common to SE Tibet and Yunnan,and some 61 species common to SW Sichuan and Yunnan,imlying close floristic relationships between them.The fioristic links between the pedicularis speaies of Yunnan and those of Burma and Bhutan are also relatively weak.

Key words: pedicularis