Corresponding author: Guang-Qian Gou (
Academic editor: Y. Mutafchiev
In this study,
Yang C-D, He X-Z, Gou G-G (2018)
During field work in north-eastern Guizhou, China, some specimens of
Specimens were collected during February 2017. Additionally, some flowers were also collected and preserved in FAA for subsequent observations. The photographs were taken in the field. Morphological observations and measurements of the new species were carried out based on living plants, dry specimens and preserved materials.
Similar to
CHINA. Guizhou: Tongren, Jiangkou County, Dewang Town, Miaowangpo, in broad-leaved forest, elevation 868 m,
Perennial herbs, ascending, 40–60 cm tall; stems branched, terete, the lower stems prostrate, rooting from the node, the upper stems erect, densely hirtellous. Leaves in subequal pairs; petiole 1.3–3 cm, hirtellous; leaf blade drying papery, ovate, broadly ovate or elliptic, 3–6 cm × 1.8–3 cm, drying brown adaxially, purple abaxially, sparsely hirtellous on both surfaces, densely hirtellous on the midrib abaxially; base cuneate to obtuse, apex acute to obtuse; margin flat to crisped; secondary veins 5–8 on each side of the midrib; stipules persistent, rarely caducous, ovate-triangular, 1.3–1.6 mm × 0.9–1.2 mm, glabrescent adaxially, puberulent abaxially, margin ciliate, with two well-developed colleters inside the base of stipules, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, congested-cymose to cymose, 5–30-flowered, hirtellous; peduncle 1–2 cm, densely hirtellous. Bracts linear, 4–5 mm × 0.8–1.1 mm, glabrescent adaxially, puberulent abaxially, persistent. Flowers distylous. Pedicel 1–3 mm long, pubescent. Calyx densely puberulent; hypanthium subturbinate, 0.8–1.1 mm long, 5-ribbed; lobes triangular, 1–1.5 mm long. Corolla purple in bud, white at anthesis, drying pink, funnelform to tubular-funnelform, longitudinally winged, glabrous outside; tube 8–9 mm long, villous inside; corolla lobes triangular to ovate, ca. 4 × 2 mm, villous inside, dorsally ridged. Longistylous flower: stamens included, inserted in middle lower part of the corolla tube; filaments ca. 1 mm long; anthers linear, 1.4–1.7 mm long; style filiform, 7–8 mm long, sparsely puberulent; stigmas 2-lobed, lobes ovate, ca. 1.2 mm long, glabrous. Brevistylous flower: stamens exerted, inserted at the middle of the corolla tube; filaments 1.8–2.1 mm long; anthers oblong linear, subequal to filament; style filiform, ca. 2.5 mm long, sparsely puberulent; stigmas deeply 2-lobed, linear-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm long, glabrous. Capsules obcordate in outline, 3.5–4.5 × 6.5–8 mm, subglabrous. Seeds small, angular, numerous, pale yellow to brown.
Plants were observed in full bloom on 19 February 2017. It can be expected that flowering time of the new species is from January to March; fruiting time needs further observations.
The specific epithet refers to Guizhou, a province of south-western China in which the new species was collected.
The new species is currently only known from the type locality. More explorations are needed to fully understand its distribution and to assess its conservation status. Based on the available data, the new species is treated as “Data Deficient (
We thank Xiao-Yu Wang for his line drawing of the new species. We are also grateful to the editor and three reviewers for critical comments and helpful suggestions. This work was supported by the national science and technology project of rural areas in the Twelfth Five Year Plan (2015BAD04B00) and by the Guizhou Education Department ([2012]018).