Capillipedium alpinum H. Sun & Boufford, 2016

Denchev, Teodor T., Sun, Hang, Denchev, Cvetomir M. & Boufford, David E., 2016, A new smut fungus on a new grass: Sporisorium capillipedii-alpini (Ustilaginales) sp. nov. infecting Capillipedium alpinum (Poaceae) sp. nov., from Sichuan, China, Phytotaxa 252 (3), pp. 217-227 : 218-220

Capillipedium alpinum H. Sun & Boufford , sp. nov. ( Figs 1–3 )

[ Capillipedium alpinum L. Liou , in sched. (nom. inval.)]

ṘƜüffiff, gaoshan xibingcao

Type: — CHINA. Sichuan Province: Xiangcheng Xian, Siqu ; meadow, 3500 m, 11 August 1981, leg. Qinghai-Tibet Expedition Team 4564 ( KUN, holotype; PE, isotype) .

Diagnosis: —Differing from other species of Capillipedium ( Poaceae ) in its diminutive size, to 25 cm tall, short, narrow inflorescence, 1–5 × 0.4–1 cm and sessile spikelet 3–3.2 mm long.

Etymology: —Epithet derived from the high elevation habitats (2700–3650 m) in the Hengduan Mountains, China, where it occurs.

Herbs, perennial. Culms tufted, 5.5–25 cm tall, unbranched; nodes bearded. Leaf sheaths spreading or slightly reflexed hispid, densely ciliate at mouth; leaf blades 1.5–12 × 1.5–3.5 mm, scaberulous, with tubercle-based long hairs, trichomes more tufted at base of blade, becoming sparse apically, base merging smoothly with sheath, tapering smoothly to apex; ligules scarious 0.3–0.5 mm long. Inflorescences thyrsoid panicles, 1–5 × 0.4–1 cm; branches erect or ascending, glabrous, green with purple streaks or wholly purple; nodes with few long hairs or glabrous; racemes composed of 1 or 2 spikelet pairs below terminal triad, purple; rachis internodes and pedicels glabrous. Sessile spikelets 3–3.2 mm long; lower glume lanceolate, grayish purple, slightly glossy, dorsally 3- or faintly to conspicuously 5- or 7- veined, scarcely depressed along midline, glabrous or with ascending stiff trichomes, glabrous above middle, margins scarious, apex gradually tapering, acute; upper glume ciliate or glabrous along margins; awn of upper lemma 4–15 mm long, twisted, slightly to conspicuously scaberulous. Pedicellate spikelets equaling sessile spikelets, staminate or bisexual. Chromosome number unknown.

Phenology: —Flowering and fruiting: summer. Distribution and habitat: —China, Sichuan Province; dry, open slopes and meadows, 2700–3650 m (Fig. 26). Additional specimens examined: — CHINA. Sichuan Province: Xiangcheng Xian, vicinity of the town of Reda, 29°6′11″N, 99°37′55″E, 3450–3650 m. Dry slopes with cut over Quercus , Pinus , Berberis , Cotoneaster . Open meadow, 15 July 1998, D.E. Boufford, B. Bartholomew, C.Y. Chen, M.J. Donoghue, R.H. Ree, H. Sun & S.K. Wu 28703 (A, CAS, KUN); Sichuan Province: Xiangcheng Xian, Xiarewu, on road between Xiangcheng and Daxue Shan

(road to Zhongdian from Xiangcheng), 28°47′32″N, 99°50′14″E, 2700 m. Spinescent shrub community on dry, stony slopes above Souqu River. Meadow near marshland, 22 July 1998, D.E. Boufford, B. Bartholomew, W.Y. Chen, M.J. Donoghue, R.H. Ree, H. Sun & S.K. Wu 29019 (A, CAS, KUN).

Comments: — Capillipedium alpinum is much smaller than its congeners in mainland China, which range from half a meter to over three meters tall. The closest in stature to C. alpinum in China is C. kwashotense (Hayata) C.C. Hsu , which is restricted to seaside habitats in eastern Taiwan and to Iriomote Island in southern Japan.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Capillipedium alpinum H. Sun & Boufford (holotype, KUN). A. Habit. B. Spikelet. C. Lower glume. D. Upper glume. E. Lemma. Scale bars: A = 1 cm, B–E = 1 mm. Drawn by Ling Wang.

FIGURES 2–3. Inflorescences of Capillipedium alpinum H. Sun & Boufford (holotype, KUN). Scale bars = 3 mm.