Corresponding author: Long Wang (
Academic editor: A. Sennikov
Fei W-Q, Deng T, Wang L (2022)
During a field expedition in August 2016 to Shennongjia, Hubei, China, the second author was able to discover a unique
For morphological comparisons, we critically examined physical or digitalized herbarium specimens with high-resolution of the genus
Readily distinguishable in the whole genus by the character combination of the reniform to cordate-reniform leaf blades which are purplish red abaxially and palmately-pinnately veined, the solitary and erect capitula, and the pappus which are as long as, or slightly longer, than tube of the tubular corolla.
Photographs of
China. Hubei Province, Shennongjia Forest Department, Shennongding Nature Reserve, Shennonggu valley,
Photographs of
Perennial herb. Stems solitary, erect, 15–20 cm tall, ca. 3 mm in diam. at base, proximal to median part slightly brown puberulent and white arachnoid to glabrescent, distal part densely brownish pilose. Basal leaves ascending, long petiolate; petiole 5–10 cm long, not winged throughout; leaf blade reniform to cordate-reniform, 3.5–4.5(–6) cm long, 3.5–5(–7) cm wide, herbaceous, adaxially dark green, slightly shortly puberulent to glabrescent, abaxially purplish red, brownish puberulent at first, especially along veins, then becoming glabrescent, base cordate, margin regularly dentate, apex rounded or slightly obtuse; sinus narrow, basal lobes nearly rounded, slightly divergent; vein palmate-pinnate; primary veins 3–5. Stem leaves 4–6(–7). Proximal stem leaves usually 1, petiolate; petioles ca. 3 cm long, basally sheathed; sheath usually more or less broadened; leaf blade reniform to cordate-reniform, slightly smaller than basal leaves. Median stem leaves usually 1, nearly sessile; leaf blade usually less than 3 cm long and 3 cm wide; base slightly or enlarged sheathed. Distal stem leaves usually 2–5, much smaller and reduced, bract-like, lanceolate, 6–10 mm long, 1.5–3 mm wide; margin slightly ciliate or entire. Capitula solitary, erect, 5 cm in diam. including ray florets; bracts 1 or 2, lanceolate to subulate, 3–4 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide. Involucres cylindrical, 11–14 mm high, 9–14 mm in diam., outside shortly brownish puberulent; receptacle densely shortly puberulent outside; phyllaries 9–10, spreading, in 2 rows; outer phyllaries narrowly oblong, 2–2.5 mm wide, apex acute; inner phyllaries oblong, ca. 3 mm wide, margin membranous, apex acute to obtuse. Ray florets 6–9, yellow; lamina oblong to elliptic, 3.0–3.5 cm long, 6–7 mm wide, apex acute, 3-denticulate; tube 5 mm long. Tubular florets numerous, yellow, ca. 2 cm long; tube 5 mm long; limb campanulate, 5–7 mm long; style 1.2 cm long. Achenes (immature) oblong, cylindrical, pale yellow, 3–4 mm long, glabrous. Pappus brown in the upper two-thirds, white (distal part) and purplish red (proximal part) in the lower one-third, 5–7 mm long, as long as, or slightly longer, than tube of tubular corolla.
The specific epithet ‘
Flowering from July to August; fruiting in September.
This species is currently known only from Shennongjia of Hubei (Fig.
Distribution of
China.
The generic placement of this newly described taxon, which is superficially similar to some species of
In the genus
Differences among
|
|
|
|
|
---|---|---|---|---|
Stems | distally white arachnoid and shortly brown pilose | distally white arachnoid-puberulent | densely brownish pilose | distally shortly brown pilose |
Basal leaves | leaf blade cordate-sagittate or reniform, abaxially pale green, rarely purplish red; margin triangularly or coarsely dentate, between teeth shortly pilose, apex rounded; palmately veined | leaf blade triangular-hastate, abaxially pale green; margin sharply dentate, apex acute or acuminate; palmately-pinnately veined | leaf blade reniform to cordate-reniform, abaxially purplish red; margin regularly dentate, apex rounded or slightly obtuse; palmately-pinnately veined | leaf blade orbicular-reniform, abaxially pale green; margin regularly triangular-dentate, apex rounded; palmately veined |
Capitula | usually solitary, sometimes 2–7(–16) arraged in a raceme; cernuous to horizontal | solitary; erect | solitary; erect | usually solitary, sometimes 2–4 arranged in a lax corymb; cernuous |
Involucres | campanulate, 6–8(–10) mm in diam., outside shortly brown pilose or glabrous | broadly campanulate, to 1.5 cm, outside white arachnoid-puberulent | cylindrical, 9–14 mm in diam., outside shortly brownish puberulent | hemispheric, to 24 mm in diam., outside glabrous |
Ray florets | lamina linear, 1.5–2 mm wide | lamina linear-lanceolate, 3–4 mm wide | lamina oblong to elliptic, 6–7 mm wide | lamina elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, ca. 2 mm wide |
Pappus | brown or pale brown, 6–7 mm long, as long as tubular corolla | pale yellow, 7–8 mm long, as long as tubular corolla | brown in the upper two-thirds, white (distal part) and purplish red (proximal part) in the lower one-third, 5–7 mm long, as long as or slightly longer than tube of tubular corolla | purplish brown, 1–2 mm long, much shorter than tube of tubular corolla |
Distribution in China | Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan | Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol | Chongqing, Hubei | Yunnan |
We would like to thank Dr. Chen Ren and Dr. Alexander Sennikov for their constructive suggestions. We are grateful to the curators of A, BM, CDBI, CSFI, E, GH, HIB, HITBC, HNWP, IBSC, JIU, K, KATH, KUN, LE, NAS, NY, P, PE, S, SZ, W, WU, and WUK for allowing us to use their scanned images of specimens and for research facilities. Thanks are also given to Mr. Xin-Qiang Guo, and Mr. Hai-Song Wu for field assistance. This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31900183), the Biological Resources Programme of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. KFJ-BRP-017-08), Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology of Golden monkey in Shennongjia of Hubei Province (grant no. SNJGKL202002), the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. 2019382), and the Ten Thousand Talents Program of Yunnan Province (grant no. 202005AB160005).