Oreocharis longipedicellata Lei Cai & F.Wen, 2020

Cai, Lei, Huang, Zhang-Jie, Wen, Fang & Dao, Zhi-Ling, 2020, Two new species of Oreocharis (Gesneriaceae) from karst regions in Yunnan and notes on O. tetraptera and O. brachypoda from China, PhytoKeys 162, pp. 1-12 : 1

Oreocharis longipedicellata Lei Cai & F.Wen sp. nov. Figures 4 , 5

Diagnosis.

Oreocharis longipedicellata morphologically resembles O. panzhouensis Lei Cai, Y.Guo & F.Wen in its ovate leaf blade, yellow flower, four separated fertile stamens, oblong anthers and bilobed, flabellate stigma, but can be easily distinguished from this species in the peduncle 20-28 cm long, bract lanceolate to elliptic, margin denticulate, the calyx 5-lobed to the base, stamens adnate to corolla 3-4 mm from base and the pistil 1.5-2 cm long.

Type.

China. Yunnan: Malipo County, Mengdong, on the surface of moist rocks (Cultivated in GCCC nursery, Guilin Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences) in flower, 24 August 2019, Fang Wen WF190824-01 (holotype: KUN!, isotype: IBK!).

Description.

Perennial herb, rhizome 0.8-2 cm long, 3-5 mm in diameter. Leaves 8-15, basal, petiole 3.5-8.0 cm long, densely brown villous, leaf blade elliptic to ovate, 3.0-5.5 × 2.4-4.5 cm, adaxially densely pubescence, abaxially pubescent, densely brown villous along veins, lateral veins 3-6 on each side of midrib, apex rounded, base slightly oblique sometimes, cordate to auricula-cordate, margin crenate, with brown villous. Cymes axillary 2-5, inflorescence 4-8-flowered; peduncle 20-28 cm long, brown villous; bracts 2, lanceolate to elliptic, 10-12 × 2.5-5.0 mm, adaxially densely villous, abaxially glabrous, sometimes upper part pubescent, margin denticulate; pedicel 2.0-3.5 cm long, densely villous. Calyx 6-9 mm long, 5-lobed to the base, lobes triangular lanceolate to narrowly triangular, 6-9 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, outside brown villous, inside glabrous, margin denticulate. Corolla sigmoid, yellow, 2.2-2.8 cm long, outside pubescent and glandular-pubescent, inside glandular-pubescent in the throat and on adaxial lobes, tube cylindrical, slightly bent near the mouth, 1.8-2.2 cm long, 5-7 mm in diameter; limb 2-lipped; adaxial lip 2-lobed to near base, semicircular, lobes 4-5 × 3.8-4.2 mm, abaxial lip 3-lobed to base, semicircular to oval, 6-8 × 5-7 mm. Stamens 4, 1.0-1.3 cm long, adnate to corolla 3-4 mm from the base; filaments linear, glabrous; anthers oblong, 2-loculed, dehiscing longitudinally, connective glabrous; staminode 1, 0.6-1.0 mm long, inserted ca. 1 mm from the base. Disc ca. 1.5 mm high, yellow, margin undulate. Pistil 1.5-2.0 cm long, glabrous; ovary long cylindrical, 10-12 mm long; style 4-6 mm long; stigma bilobed, flabellate. Fruit unknown.

Phenology.

Flowering from August to October; fruiting unknown.

Distribution and habitat.

Oreocharis longipedicellata is currently known by only one population at the type locality, Mengdong, Malipo County, southeastern Yunnan, in the China and Vietnam border area. The species was observed to grow on the surface of moist rocks in the karst region.

Etymology.

The specific epithet ' longipedicellata ' refers to the relatively-long peduncle of the new species. This species has almost the longest pedicels in the genus Oreocharis .

Vernacular name.

The Chinese name of the new species is “Cháng Gěng Mǎ Líng Jù Tái” (长梗马铃苣苔). The first two words, “Cháng Gěng,” mean the long peduncle. The next four words mean Oreocharis in mandarin.

Conservation status.

The new species could be endangered, but more data is needed to evaluate as the field distribution information is not sufficiently detailed.

Taxonomic affinities.

Oreocharis longipedicellata most resembles recently published O. panzhouensis in the yellow flower, four separated stamens, calyx 5-lobed to the middle and stigma bilobed, flabellate. Nevertheless, it differs from the latter species in several other characteristics (see Table 2 ).

Figures

Figure 4. Oreocharis longipedicellata Lei Cai & F. Wen, sp. nov. A habit B front view of flower C opened corolla showing stamens and staminode D pistil with disc E calyx lobes. Drawn by Xuan-Lin Zhu.

Figure 5. Oreocharis longipedicellata Lei Cai & F. Wen, sp. nov. A plants cultivated in GBG B adaxial and abaxial leaf surface C front view of flowers D side view of a flower E petiole F pistil with disc and calyx G, H opened corolla showing stamens and staminode. Photographed by Fang Wen.