Corresponding author: Xian-Chun Zhang (
Academic editor: P. De Block
Huang E-F, Yao G, Jiang R-H, Yang L-L, Xi W, Zhang Z-S, Zhang X-C (2021)
During a field investigation in Yingjiang Hsien, Yunnan Province, China, in the summer of 2018, one of the authors (E.F. Huang) discovered one population of a
Specimens of
To study the phylogenetic position of the new species within the genus
Sequences were aligned using MAFFT 7.221 (
The cpDNA dataset, the nrDNA dataset and the combined dataset contained 2482, 1393 and 3875 characters, respectively. Some major clades within the genus
Maximum Likelihood (
Results from both
Maximum Likelihood (
Morphologically, the new species is similar to
Leaves and inflorescences of
The new species is also similar to
Detailed information about the morphological comparison between the new species and its close relatives are given in Table
Morphological comparison between
Taxa | Leaf | Inflorescence | Corona | Calyx lobes | Pollinia |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Ovate to broadly ovate, 10–13 mm × 7–10 mm; pubescent on both surfaces when young; base rounded to truncate, apex rounded to obtuse or acuminate; midvein evident on both surfaces | 4–5-flowered; peduncle ca. 8 mm long | Rose-colored | 1.5–2 mm long | Unknown |
|
Elliptic or ovate, 9–19 mm × 5–10 mm; glabrous; base broadly cuneate to rounded, apex obtuse; midvein evident on both surfaces | 3–6-flowered peduncle ca. 5 mm long | Unknown | 2–2.5 mm long | Oblong; ca. 1 mm long; |
|
Narrowly oblong, 20–25 mm × ca. 5 mm; pubescent on both surfaces when young; base cuneate, apex usually obtuse with mucro; midvein evident abaxially | 5–7-flowered; peduncle ca. 6 mm | Rose-colored | 1.5–2 mm long | Unknown |
|
Elliptic to slightly elliptic-lanceolate, 10–17 mm × 5–10 mm; glabrous; base cuneate and apex acuminate; midvein evident on both surfaces | 3–4-flowered; peduncle 7–10 mm long | Unknown | ca. 3 mm long | Oblong; ca. 0.8 mm long |
|
Lanceolate, ca. 25 mm × 15 mm; based cuneate to narrowly cuneate, apex acuminate; sparsely pubescent on both surfaces when young; midvein evident on both surfaces; | 7–12-flowered; peduncle ca. 12 mm | Rose-colored | Unknown | Unknown |
|
Ovate-lanceolate, 15–20 mm × ca. 10 mm; base rounded, apex acuminate; slightly pubescent; midvein depressed adaxially, raised abaxially; | 3–4-flowered; peduncle ca. 5 mm long | Whitish | 5–7 mm long | Clavate; 0.55–0.6 mm long, narrowing towards the base; |
|
Pyriform, 10–14 mm × 4–7 mm; slightly pubescent adaxially, glabrous abaxially; base obtuse or rounded, apex rounded or truncate; midvein absent adaxially, obscure abaxially | 4-flowered; peduncle 8–10 mm long | Rose-colored | ca. 4 mm long | Oblong; ca. 0.6 mm long |
The species is morphologically most similar to
CHINA. Yunnan Province, Yingjiang Hsien, Sudian Village, Mulonghe River, epiphytic on trunk in mid-montane evergreen forest,
Epiphytic shrubs. Stems up to 60 cm in length, 3–4 mm in diam., branching mainly near base, branches pubescent, internodes shorter than leaves. Leaves opposite, pyriform, 10–14 × 4–7 mm, fleshy, slightly pubescent and dark green adaxially, glabrous and greyish-green abaxially, base obtuse or rounded, apex rounded or truncate, margin entire and reflexed; mid-vein invisible adaxially, obscure abaxially, lateral veins invisible on both surfaces; petioles ca. 2 mm long. Inflorescences terminal pseudumbels, flat-topped, 4-flowered, pendent; peduncle shorter than pedicels, 8–10 mm long, light green; bracteoles 2 at each pedicel base, linear, 4 × 1 mm; pedicels 1.3–1.5 cm long, light pink to yellow-green, pubescent; calyx lobes pinkish, narrowly triangular to linear, 4 × 1 mm, margin entire; corolla white, flat to slightly incurved, 1.5–1.7 cm in diam., lobes triangular-ovate, ca. 7 mm wide, apex acute; corona rose-coloured, ca. 6 mm in diam., ca. 3 × 3 mm, scales 5, fleshy, translucent, ovate-triangular; pollinia oblong, ca. 0.6 × 0.2 mm, base and apex truncate, caudicula attached at the centre of the retinaculum. Ovaries 2, attached to each other below centre, free higher up, oblong, ca. 2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, yellowish-white, pubescent. Follicles linear, 10–12 cm long, pubescent. Seeds linear-oblong, ca. 2.0 × 0.2 mm, coma 2.8–3.0 cm.
The species is endemic to Gaoligong Mountain, distributed in Longling and Yingjiang Counties in Yunnan Province. It is an epiphyte on tree trunks in the mid-montane evergreen forests at an elevation from 1850 m to 2150 m.
CHINA. Yunnan Province, Longling Hsien, Gaoligongshan National Forest Park,
The authors are grateful to the curators and staff of the herbaria CDBI, GH, HNWP, IBSC, KUN, P and PE for allowing access to high quality images of herbarium specimens, to Ms. Y.J. Chen in Hangzhou Botanical Garden for the line drawing of the new species, to L.Y. Li in Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, for the photographs in Figures
GenBank accession numbers for samples used in this study (—, missing data; *, newly-generated sequences). GenBank accession numbers are given for