Corresponding author: Fang Wen (
Academic editor: Yu Shui
A new species of
Li Z-L, Qin W-H, Wen F, He D-M, Hong X (2020)
During an expedition to prepare a National forest resources inventory in April 2016, one of the authors, De-Ming He discovered some plants without flowers in Funing County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, south-western China. Afterwards, the other authors collected specimens from the same cave when they were undertaking the field works in ecologically functional zones of Yunnan Province. On the basis of its habit (leaves in basal rosette), corolla shape (limb 2-lipped), number of fertile stamens (two), anthers (dorsifixed, coherent apically) and capsule dehiscence (loculicidal), it was identified as belonging to
Diagnostic character differences between
Character |
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apex acute | apex rounded | apex obtuse or rounded |
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glabrous inside | pubescent on both sides | pubescent on both sides |
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glabrous inside | pubescent inside | puberulent inside |
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purple | light greenish yellow | purple |
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gradually dilated and bent towards the throat | thin tubular | slender |
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apex acute, margin erosulate near the apex | apex acute, margin entire | apex round, margin entire |
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strongly geniculate at the middle, glabrous | straight, glabrous | straight, puberulent |
1 | Adaxial corolla lip 4-fided, the abaxial integrate |
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– | Adaxial corolla lip 2-fided, the abaxial 3-fided |
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2 | Flower red; leaf blades elliptic |
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– | Flower greenish; leaf blade round |
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3 | Flowers greenish |
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– | Flowers purple |
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4 | bracts 3, corolla tubes curved |
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– | bracts 2, corolla tubes strict |
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5 | Corolla lobes acuminate, not reflexed |
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– | Corolla lobes caudate, reflexed |
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6 | Leaf margin shallowly crenulate, apex rounded |
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– | Leaf margin entire, apex acute |
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The new species is vegetatively similar to
China. Guangxi Province, cultivated in the nursery of Gesneriad Conservation Center of China (GCCC), introduced from Yunnan Province: Muyang Town, Funing County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture,
Perennial herbs. Rhizomatous stem subterete, 30–75 mm long, 6–10 mm in diameter. Leaves basal, opposite and congested at rhizome apex; petiole 1.5–4.5 cm long, densely pubescent. Leaf blade chartaceous, ovate, 3–6 × 2–4 cm, apex acute, base broadly cuneiform or shallowly cordate, slightly oblique, margin crenulate, densely pubescent on both surfaces, lateral veins ca. 4 pairs on each side of midrib, concave adaxially, prominent abaxially. Cymes 1–3, axillary, 1–2-branched, 1–3(–6)-flowered; peduncles 4–6 cm long, densely glandular puberulent and sparsely strigillose; bracts 2, opposite, linear, ca. 5 × 0.8 mm, outside densely strigose, inside glabrous. Pedicels 2–8 mm long, glandular and eglandular pubescent. Calyx 5-lobed from base, segments narrowly lanceolate-linear, equal, ca. 5 × 0.9 mm, outside strigose, inside glabrous. Corolla zygomorphic, purple, 2.5–3.0 cm long, glandular and eglandular pubescent on both sides; corolla tubes infundibula-form, slender, gradually dilated and bent towards the throat; 17–19 mm long, 4–6 mm in diameter at the mouth, 2–2.5 mm in diameter at the base; limb distinctly 2-lipped; adaxial lip 2-lobed to the base, lobes ca. 8 mm long, orbicular triangular, apex acute, margin erosulate only near the apex; abaxial lip 3-lobed to the base, lobes 8–9 mm long, subequal, oblong, apex acute, margin erosulate only near the apex to nearly entire. Stamens 2, adnate ca. 10 mm above the corolla base, glabrous; filaments 2–3.5 mm long, strongly geniculate at the middle; anthers yellow, nearly reniform, ca. 1 mm, fused by their entire adaxial surfaces, dehiscing longitudinally; staminodes 3, linear, 0.5–0.7 mm long, adnate ca. 8 mm above the corolla base. Disc ring-like, ca. 0.7 mm high, with repand margin. Pistil 1.3–1.5 cm long; ovary ca. 2 × 1 mm, pilose; style 11–13 mm long, densely pilose, stigmas 2, ovate, ca. 0.6 mm long, lobes ca. 0.4 mm long. Capsule narrowly elliptic, dehiscing loculicidally into 2 valves.
The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China.
Wén Shān Shí Shān Jù Tái (Chinese pronunciation); 文山石山苣苔 (Chinese name).
The new species has so far been found only in the type locality, Muyang Town, Funing County, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The geographical distributions of
Distribution of
The landform of the type locality is karst topography, and the new species seems locally abundant in the limestone cave, the type locality. But all individuals grow on moist and shaded rocky faces on the cliff at the mouth of a karst cave. After carefully estimating and counting, the type population consists of approx. 8000 mature individuals. Although this type of cave is near the Wenshan Nature Reserve, it is also very close to the local village, so is excluded from the range of the reserve and is not protected by the reserve’s law. Hence it is easily disturbed by human activities (i.e reclamation and quarrying activities). Based on five careful field investigations over recent years, there has been no significant change in the number of individuals Thus, following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (
This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31860047), the Anhui Provincial Natural Science Foundation (1908085QC1), Key University Science Research Project of Anhui Province (No. KJ2017A022), Anhui University Doctor Startup Fund, EMREF Scholarship Award of The Gesneriad Society, Anhui University Doctor Startup Fund, Key University Science Research Project of Anhui Province (No. KJ2017A022), Fund of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain (No. 19-050-6) and Science Research Foundation of Guangxi Academy of Sciences (2017YJJ23022).