Oreocharis crispata W.H.Chen & Y.M.Shui, 2017

Chen, Run-Zheng, Chen, Wen-Hong, Wei, Yi-Gang, Wen, Fang, Yu, Xun-Lin & Shui, Yu-Min, 2017, Oreocharis crispata, a new species of Oreocharis (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 311 (2), pp. 195-199 : 195-198

Oreocharis crispata W.H.Chen & Y.M.Shui , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

Type: — CHINA. Guangxi: Quanzhou County, Caiwan Township, in flowering,on 5 April 2014 transplanted at an experimental greenhouse in Kunming Botanical Garden, Y. M.Shui & W. H.Chen B 2014-601 (holotype KUN! isotype IBK!). Diagnosis: —This new species is similar to O. nemoralis and O. magnidens in leaf shape and subequal corolla lobes, but it differs by its rugose leaf surface (vs. slightly rugose or smooth leaf surface in O. nemoralis and conspicuously bulliform leaf surface in

O. magnidens ), crispate and irregularly dentate leaf margin (vs. serrate to subentire in O. nemoralis and regularly dentate in O. magnidens ), and oblong corolla lobes with obtuse apex (vs. lanceolate corolla lobes with acute apex in O. magnidens ).

Herbs, perennial, acaulescent. Leaves in basal rosette; petiole 2–5 cm long, appressed-tomentose; leaf blade elliptic or oblong, 4–15 × 1.6–3.6 cm, rugose, adaxially pubescent, abaxially brown appressed tomentose along veins, lateral veins 8–9 pairs, depressed adaxially, veinlet reticulate on both sides, base cuneate to auriculate, apex obtuse, margin crispate and irregularly dentate. Cymes axillary, inflorescences 2–10-flowered; peduncles 4–10 cm long, appressed tomentose; bracts 2–3, lanceolate, 0.5–0.9 × 0.2–0.4 cm; pedicel 2.2–3 cm long, appressed tomentose, calyx 5-sect from base, lobes entire, lanceolate, ca. 0.5 × 0.15 cm, pubescent on both surfaces; corolla purple with white throat, slightly bilabiate, ca. 2.2 cm in diam., glandular-pubescent on both sides, tube cylindric, ca. 1.3 cm long, 5–6 mm in diam., slightly constricted at throat, adaxial lip ca. 1 cm long, 2-lobed, lobes oblong, ca. 0.8 × 0.6 cm, apex obtuse, abaxial lip ca. 1 cm long, 3-lobed, lobes nearly equal, oblong, ca. 0.7 × 0.4 cm; stamens 4, included, filaments white, thick, linear, glabrous, adaxial stamens ca. 0.9 cm long, adnate to corolla tube 0.3–0.4 cm from base, abaxial stamens ca. 1.2 cm long, adnate to corolla tube 0.4–0.5 cm from base, anthers dorsifixed, free, broadly oblong, dehiscing longitudinally; staminode 1, clavate, ca. 0.4 cm long, adnate to adaxial side of corolla tube near base; pistil glabrous, ca. 1.1 cm long, ovary linear with ridges, ca. 0.8 cm long, style ca. 0.3 cm long, stigma 1, disciform; disc yellowish, ca. 1.5 mm high, ring-shaped, margin slightly undulate with 5 irregularly and shallow lobes. Capsule linear, 4–5 cm long, 1–2 mm in diam. Seeds elliptic, ca. 0.8 mm long, surface reticulate.

Additional Specimens Examined:— CHINA. Guangxi: Quanzhou County, Caiwan Township, 26°07’34.82”N, 110°52’30.99” E, elev. ca. 1683 m, 24 July 2013, under shrubs at forest margins, in fruiting. Y. M.Shui, Y. K.Sima & W. H.Chen B 2013-258 ( KUN).

Distribution and habitat: — Oreocharis crispata is only known from Caiwan Township, Quanzhou County, Guangxi Province, China. The new species grows on the surface of rocks under shrubs at the forest margin, at the elevation of 1680–1800 m on shady slope of limestone hills. Under shrubs, the common accompanying plants are Oreocharis xiangguiensis W.T. Wang (1987: 285) and Ypsilandra thibetica Franchet (1887: 94) .

Etymology: —The epithet refers to the crispate leaf margin.

Phenology:— Flowering from April to May; fruiting from April to June.

Notes: — Oreocharis crispata is closely related to O. nemoralis and O. magnidens , but differs mainly by the surface and margin of the leaves and by the lobe shape of the flowers. This new species is also similar to O. nemoralis in their almost actinomorphic flowers, but it differs in its almost bullate leaves. Moreover, it shares with O. magnidens in the almost uneven leaves, while it differs in almost actinomorphic flowers. A morphological comparison for the three species is presented in Table 1.

Oreocharis × heterandra D.Fang & D.H.Qin in Fang et al. (1994: 563) seems to be morphologically similar to O. crispata in flower colour, flower and lobe shape and have similar leaves. However, unlike O. crispata , Oreocharis × heterandra , a naturally occurring hybrid, does not produce normal fertile anthers and fruits ( Fig. 1E–F ; Puglisi et al. 2011). Besides, the distribution of the hybrid is very limited in the narrow region, where O. argyreia Chun ex Pan (1987: 283) and O. magnidens overlap each other ( Puglisi et al. 2011). The fact that O. crispata grows far from the parental species of Oreocharis × heterandra and can produce mature fruits, implies that the new species undergoes different evolutionary processes from the above hybrid ( Fig. 3 ). Morphologically, the new species is not related to the hybrid and can be easily differentiated mainly by its crispate leaf margin (vs. regularly leaf margin), slightly constricted corolla tube on the throat (vs. conspicuously constricted) and oblong corolla lobes (vs. narrowly oblong) ( Wei 2010, Puglisi et al. 2011).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Oreocharis obtusidentata (A–C, photographed by Yu Xun-Lin), O. nemoralis (D, by Yu Xun-Lin), O.× heterandra and O. magnidens (G–H, by Wei Yi-Gang). A, D, E and G. Plant habit; B, F, H and I. Face view of flower; C. Opened corolla showing number of stamens. Scale bar:A, D, E, and G=10 cm, B, C, F, H, and I =1 cm.

FIGURE 2. Oreocharis crispata (A: photographed by Wei Yi-Gang; B–C: by Chen Run-Zheng; D–F: by Shui Yu-Min). A. Plant habit; B. Adaxial leaf showing crispate leaf margin; C. Abaxial leaf surface; D. Face view of flowers; E. Lateral view of flowers; F. Opened young flower showing dorsifixed anthers, pistil with disc (d) and staminode (s) G. Opened corolla showing pistil with disc (d) and staminode (s). Scale bar: A–C=3 cm, D and E =1 cm, F=5 mm, G=2 mm.

FIGURE 3. Geographic distribution of Oreocharis crispata and its related taxa in China (Li and Wang 2004, Wei et al. 2010, Puglisi et al. 2011).