Silene vanchingshanensis C.Y.Wu ex Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang, 2022

Yang, Feng, Liu, Jin-Li, Li, Ping-Ping & Wang, Huan-Chong, 2022, Silene vanchingshanensis (Caryophyllaceae) a new species from Southwest China, PhytoKeys 189, pp. 155-162 : 155

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.189.79631
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5B48E877-DDBD-5368-A461-FA380F86A158
treatment provided by	PhytoKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Silene vanchingshanensis C.Y.Wu ex Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Silene vanchingshanensis C.Y.Wu ex Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3

Type.

China. Guizhou Province: Jiangkou County, summit of the Fanjingshan Mountain , 27°54'51"N, 108°41'35"E, steep cliffs or rock crevices, alt. 2,450-2,500 m, 10 July 2021, Feng Yang & Jing-Li Liu JK 12775 (holotype YUKU02074621!; isotypes YUKU02074622!, YUKU02074623!, YUKU02074624!, YUKU02074625!, YUKU02074643!) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Silene vanchingshanensis is similar to S. morrisonmontana , from which it differs by its shape and size of leaves (linear-oblanceolate, 3-6 cm × 3-6 mm vs. linear, 2-7 cm × 2-3 mm), cymes (often 2-5-flowered vs. usually solitary) and colour of petals (pink or violet vs. white).

Description.

Herbs perennial. Rhizomes slender, creeping, branched. Stems caespitose, ascending, 10-15 cm long, slender, pubescent, usually with clustered sterile shoots at the base. Basal leaves linear-oblanceolate, 3-6 cm long, 3-6 mm wide, base cuneate, attenuate into petiole, connate, cylindrical, apex acuminate, margin ciliate, mid-vein prominent; cauline leaves usually 4-6 pairs, sessile, lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, 2-4 cm long, 3-4 mm wide, apex acuminate, margin ciliate. Cymes often 2-5-flowered, flowers rarely solitary. Flowers slightly nodding; pedicel densely hairy, 8-25 mm long; bracts lanceolate, 10-15 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide. Calyx campanulate, ca. 12 mm long, 5-8 mm in diameter, base rounded, longitudinal veins violet, converging at apex, veins hairy; calyx teeth narrowly triangular, 3-4 mm long, margin ciliate, apex acute to acuminate. Androgynophore 2-3 mm long, pubescent. Petals pink or violet, 1.5-2.0 cm long; claws saccate-oblanceolate, ciliate at base; auricles orbicular, sometimes obscurely laciniate; limbs exserted beyond calyx, obovate, 6-9 mm long, bifid, rarely deeply lobed to middle; lobes narrowly elliptic or ovate, sometimes with one obtuse tooth on each lateral side; coronal scales flabellate, ca. 1 mm long, white with a little tint of violet, laciniate at apex. Stamens 10, slightly exserted, filaments hairy at base. Styles usually 3, sometimes 5, included. Capsule narrowly ovoid, 12-15 mm long, slightly equal to persistent sepals. Seeds reniform.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting times from July to September.

Etymology.

The specific epithet vanchingshanensis is derived from the type locality “Vanchingshan”, a variant name for Fanjingshan Mountain.

Distribution and habitat.

Silene vanchingshanensis is currently known only from locus classicus (Fanjingshan Mountain), a famous scenic resort in Guizhou, southwest China. The species grows on cliffs or rock crevices of the mountain summit at elevations of 2,100-2,500 m.

Taxonomic notes.

The name Silene vanchingshanensis was first proposed by the Chinese botanist Zhengyi Wu in 1988 on the label of a KUN specimen (C. P. Jian et al. 32080). However, no name was formally published.

According to the taxonomic treatment of Chinese Silene by Tang (1994), S. vanchingshanensis should be assigned to Silene sect. Morrisonmontanae C. L. Tang (synonymised in Silene sect. Physolychnis (Benth.) Bocquet in Jafari et al. (2020)) due to its cymes 2-5-flowered and campanulate calyx. S. vanchingshanensis is mostly similar to S. morrisonmontana (Hayata) Ohwi & H.Ohashi, but differs from the latter by its leaves linear-oblanceolate (vs. linear), 3-6 cm × 3-6 mm (vs. 2-7 cm × 2-3 mm), cymes (1-) 2-5-flowered (vs. usually solitary) and petals pink or violet (vs. white). The distribution areas of these two species are separated: S. vanchingshanensis is endemic to Guizhou, while S. morrisonmontana is only found in Taiwan. S. vanchingshanensis is also similar to S. hupehensis C. L. Tang, but clearly differs from the latter by its stems with hairs, 10-15 cm (vs. glabrous, 10-30 cm) long, leaves linear-oblanceolate (vs. narrowly linear), 3-6 cm × 3-6 mm (vs. 5-8 cm × 2-3.5 mm) and capsule narrowly ovoid (vs. ovoid), 12-15 mm (vs. 6-8 mm) long. A detailed morphological comparison between these three species is summarised in Table 1 View Table 1 .

Additional specimens examined.

Silene vanchingshanensis (paratypes). China. Guizhou: Jiangkou County, Fanjingshan Mountain , 15 August 2003, S. Z. He et al. 0308038 (GZTM), ibid., Jingding, alt. 2,150 m, 25 September 1963, C. P. Jian et al. 32080 (KUN), ibid., collection time unknown, s. n. 51495 (IBSC) .

Silene morrisonmontana . China. Taiwan: Hsinchu City, Wufeng village, Sheipa National Park, Tapachienshan , 24°27'47"N, 121°15'29"E, on shady rocky slope, alt. ca. 3,400 m, 7 September1993, C. L. Huang et al. 103 (HAST) GoogleMaps , Taichung City, Wuling, on route from 369 Lodge to Hsuehshan Peak , alt. ca. 3,884 m, 2 August 1991, D. S. HSU & Moore, S. J. 723 (HAST) , Nantou County, Jenai village, Chilailishan , alt. 3,330 m, 4 September 1998, T. Y. A. Yang No. 11253 (PE) .

Silene hupehensis . China. Henan: Luanchuan County, Laojunshan , 24 July 2006, Chang-Shan Zhu 2006100 (HITBC) . Hubei: Shengnongjia Forest District, along the road between Guanmenshan and Xiaoshennongjia , 31°30'N, 110°30'E, 10 September 1980, 1980 Sino-Amer. Exped. No 973 (PE) GoogleMaps . Shaanxi: Mei County, Taibai Mountain, Fangyang temple, hillsides and meadows, alt. 3,000 m, 9 August 1977, You-Hao Guo & Zhi-Xing Hu 489 (IBSC) . Sichuan: Shimian County, on the way from Jiziping to Xishan , 29°04'29"N, 102°11'22"E, alt. 2,961 m, 31 July 2007, Ji-Pei Yue Yue-07160 (KUN) GoogleMaps .