Eriobotrya crassifolia Q.Fan, S.F.Chen & K.K.Meng, 2022

Meng, Kai-Kai, Chen, Su-Fang, Lin, Min, Liao, Wen-Bo, Jin, Jian-Hua & Fan, Qiang, 2022, Eriobotrya crassifolia (Rosaceae), a new species from Yunnan Province, China, PhytoKeys 214, pp. 17-25 : 17

Eriobotrya crassifolia Q.Fan, S.F.Chen & K.K.Meng sp. nov.

Type.

China. Yunnan Province, Malipo County, Xiajinchang Town, Mount Laoshan , in thick forests on the slopes of limestone hills, 23°07'N, 104°50'E, 1684 m a.s.l., 21 March 2022, Q. Fan 19220 (holotype: SYS; isotype: IBSC, SYS) (Figs 2 , 3 ) .

Diagnosis.

The new species resembles E. angustissima , but differs from the latter by its leaf shape and texture, the number of lateral veins and the indumentum of inflorescence.

Description.

Evergreen trees, 15-25 m tall; stems 10-30 cm in diameter; branchlets grey-white, terete, glabrous, 4-8 mm in diameter. Leaves spirally inserted on branches and often crowded at tips of branchlets, margin sparsely serrate; petioles 1-1.5 cm long, glabrous; stipules linear-lanceolate, 10-12 × 1-2 mm, glabrous; leaf blades oblong or elliptic, 9-11 × 2.5-3.5 cm, thickly coriaceous, glabrous, mid-vein prominent, raised abaxially, lateral veins 10-17 pairs, sporadically dichotomous before terminating at margin, apex acute to acuminate, base cuneate, margin deflexed with sharply serrate. Inflorescence in terminal panicles, 17- to 30-flowered, 6.7-9.8 × 4-7.7 cm, with 4-7 lateral racemes, peduncle and pedicels densely rusty tomentose, pedicels 3-4 mm; bracts and bracteoles ovate-triangular, 2-4 × 8-10 mm, abaxially densely tomentose, adaxially glabrous; petals white, quincuncial, obovate-triangular or suborbicular, 9-10 × 6-8 mm, apex emarginate; stamens 20; filaments 5.3-8.1 mm long, glabrous; anthers 1.4-1.5 mm long; styles 6.2-9 mm long; ovary inferior; hypanthium shallow-cupular, 9-10 × 6-8 mm, abaxially densely rusty tomentose, 5-lobed, the calyx lobes triangular-ovate, 9-10 × 5-6 mm, abaxially densely rusty tomentose; ovary 2-4-loculed, with 2 ovules per locule; styles 2-4, mostly 3, densely yellowish villous in the lower part, connate at base or fused at one fourth of the base; fruits elliptoid or subglobose, 6-7 × 7-9 mm, glabrescent, capsules crowned by five persistent calyx lobes; seeds 2-3 per fruit.

Phenology.

Flowering from March to April, fruiting from June to August.

Etymology.

Latin crassus, thick, and folia, leaved, alluding to leaf thickness

Distribution and habitat.

Presently, Eriobotrya crassifolia is known from a single locality, Laoshan Natural Reserve, Malipo County, south-eastern Yunnan Province, China. It is distributed in thick forests on the slopes of limestone hills at altitudes of 1502-1684 m a.s.l.

Conservation status.

Only two populations were found with no more than 200 mature individuals. Thus, the species status could be considered as Endangered (EN; D), according to the IUCN Red List Criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2022).

Additional specimens examined (paratypes).

China. Yunnan: Malipo County, Xiajinchang Township, Laoshan Natural Reserve , 23°07'N, 104°50'E, 1684 m a.s.l., 2 Dec 2015 (no fl. and no fr.), Q. Fan 13941 (SYS); the same locality, 27 June 2022 (young fr.), Q. Fan 19580 (SYS); Malipo County , Tianbao Township , Laoshan Natural Reserve , in thick forests on the slopes of limestone hills, 23°11'N, 104°48'E, 1502 m a.s.l., 16 September 2015 (no fl. and no fr.), Q. Fan 13713 (SYS) .

Figures

Figure 2. Eriobotrya crassifolia sp. nov. A flowering branch B fruiting branch C young fruits with persistent calyx lobes D calyx lobe E flower in longitudinal section, showing the ovary, stamen and calyx lobes F flower in longitudinal section, showing the pistil, stamens and petals G styles H petals I flower in front view. Illustrated by Yun-Xiao Liu.

Figure 3. Eriobotrya crassifolia sp. nov. A, B fruiting branch C flowering branch D flower in side view E flower in front view F ovary in transverse section, showing the 3 - loculed ovary. Photographed by Qiang Fan.