Paraboea wenshanensis X.Hong & F.Wen, 2018

He, De-Ming, Feng, Yan-Fei, Pan, Fu-Zhuan, Hong, Xin & Wen, Fang, 2018, Paraboea wenshanensis, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Yunnan, China, PhytoKeys 95, pp. 83-91 : 84-88

Paraboea wenshanensis X.Hong & F.Wen sp. nov. Figures 1 and 2

Diagnosis.

Paraboea wenshanensis is similar to P. martinii (H. Lév. & Vaniot) B.L. Burtt and P. glutinosa (Hand.-Mazz.) K.Y. Pan in having similar corolla shape and colour, but can be distinguished by its oblong-ovate to elliptic leaf blade, crenate margin, lateral veins 4-8 on each side of midrib, petiole subsessile or up to 3 cm long, broadly obovate, glabrous bracts, 6-8 mm long, glabrous membranous calyx and capitate staminodes. It also morphologically resembles P. angustifolia Yan Liu & W.B. Xu, but can be easily distinguished by the oblong-ovate to elliptic leaf blade, broadly obovate, glabrous bracts, oblong to oblanceolate, glabrous membranous calyx, sparsely glandu lar puberulent filaments; capitate staminodes and twisted capsule. A morphological comparison between P. wenshanensis and congeners: P. angustifolia , P. martinii and P. glutinosa is provided in Table 1 . (see also Fig. 3 ).

Type.

CHINA. Yunnan Province: Shaka County, Gumu Town, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture , 23°9'22.5"N, 104°12'16.59"E, a.s.l. 1,500 m, 4 Jul 2014, flowering, D.M. He & Y.F. Feng WSLJS646 (holotype: KUN; isotype: AHU, IBK) .

Description.

Terrestrial lithophilic, perennial rosulate herbs. Stems subterete, 5-10 cm long, 5-9 mm in diameter. Leaves 6-20, congested at the apex of the stem, subsessile or up to 3 cm long, leaf blade oblong-ovate to elliptic, (5-)8-18 × 1-3 cm, coriaceous, bases strongly oblique and asymmetrically attenuate, margins crenate sometimes with a woolly strip, apices acute to obtuse, upper leaf surfaces with arachnoid covering when young, becoming glabrescent with age, lower leaf densely appressed greyish arachnoid hairs; lateral veins 4-8 on each side of midrib, convex and densely appressed brown to greyish woolly hairs along the abaxial veins. Cymes dichotomous, axillary or subterminal, dichasia 1-3(-5), (2-)4-16-flowered; peduncles 3-10 cm long, ca. 5 mm in diameter, sparsely greyish matted woolly hairs, green; bracts 2, opposite, broadly obovate, 7-9 × ca. 5 mm, margins entire, apices blunted to obtuse, glabrous, whitish to purple; pedicels 0.8-1 cm long, ca. 2 mm in diameter, sparsely greyish matted woolly, greenish. Calyx membranous, 5-parted to the base, lobes oblong to oblanceolate, 6-8 × ca. 2.6 mm, glabrous, margins entire, apex obtuse or rounded, white to purplish. Corolla zygomorphic, 1-1.5 cm long, purple outside, bluish or purplish inside, glabrous; tube obliquely wide campanulate, 0.6-1.2 cm long, ca. 1cm in diameter at the mouth; the limb two-lipped; adaxial lip 2-lobed to near base, lobes semi-orbicular, apex rounded, 2-4 × ca. 3 mm, abaxial lip 3-lobed to base, central lobe ovate, lateral lobes obliquely ovate, the apex of 3 lower lobes rounded, 5-6 × ca. 3 mm. Stamens 2, included, adnate to abaxial side of corolla tube near base; filaments 4-5 mm long, inflated and strongly geniculate on the upper part, wide along its length and narrowly constricted at base, white, sparsely purple glandular-puberulous near the base; anthers dorsifixed, ca. 3.5 mm long; transversely spindle-shaped, coherent at the lateral sides, dehiscing longitudinally, white, glabrous; staminodes 2, capitate, ca. 0.2 mm long, adnate to ca. 1.5 cm above the corolla tube base. Pistil glabrous; ovary narrowly ovoid to conical, ca. 1 cm long, ca. 1.1 mm in diameter, placentas 4, axile, undivided; style ca. 6 mm long, stigma capitate, with numerous papillae. Capsule linear, spirally twisted, ca. 3 cm long, 0.4-0.6 cm in diameter, glabrous, slightly curved, dehiscing loculicidally to base.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, Wenshan National Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China.

Vernacular name.

Wén Shān Zhǖ Máo Jǜ Tái (Chinese pronunciation); 文山蛛毛苣苔 (Chinese name).

Distribution and habitat.

To date, Paraboea wenshanensis is locally abundant and endemic to south-western China, from type locality: Wenshan Nature Reserve, Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province. This species grows on moist shady cliffs of limestone hills, at an elevation of 1,500 m a.s.l. The average temperature is 14.5 °C, the average annual precipitation has been calculated as ca. 1,022 mm. The forest is a subtropical monsoon climate evergreen broad-leaved forest, with main community types of Ilex polyneura (Hand.-Mazz.) S.Y. Hu, Triadica rotundifolia (Hemsl.) Esser and Debregeasia orientalis C.J. Chen.

Conservation status.

Current information for this new species is only known from very few collections and details on the size of the population are known in Wenshan Nature Reserve, where the plants’ protected status is guaranteed. Based on five careful field investigations in the past years, this species appears to be locally abundant. Considering that not enough is known about the population, it is proposed that Paraboea wenshanensis should currently be classed as data deficient (DD) ( IUCN 2016).

Notes.

The geographical distributions of P. wenshanensis and its similar species are identified in Map 1 .

Figures

Figure 1. Paraboea wenshanensis X. Hong & F. Wen. A Habitat in fruiting period B Inflorescences C Dissection of a flower showing corolla, stamens and staminodes D Calyx and pistil, stamen (showing the glandular-puberulous, inflated and strongly geniculate).

Map 1. The geographical distribution of P. wenshanensis sp. nov., P. angustifolia, P. martinii and P. glutinosa.

Figure 2. Paraboea wenshanensis X. Hong & F. Wen. A Habitat B Adaxial surface view of leaf blade C Abaxial surface view of leaf blade D Cyme with flowers, showing wide campanulate E Frontal view of corolla F Calyx lobes G Opened corolla for showing stamens and pistil H Pistil with calyx lobes and stamens, showing anthers and strongly geniculate filaments I Infructescence with many capsules.

Figure 3. A: Paraboea wenshanensis X. Hong & F. Wen. A- 1 plant in habitat A- 2 corolla face view B P. angustifolia Yan Liu & W. B. Xu B- 1 habitat B- 2 flowering habit, B- 3 corolla face view C P. martinii (Levl.) Burt C- 1 flowering habit C- 2 corolla face view D P. glutinosa (Handel-Mazzetti) K. Y. Pan D- 1 plant in habitat D- 2 inflorescense, showing corolla face view.