Saussurea pseudolingulata Y. S. Chen, 2015

Chen, You-Sheng & Yuan, Qian, 2015, Twenty-six new species of Saussurea (Asteraceae, Cardueae) from the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and adjacent regions, Phytotaxa 213 (3), pp. 159-211 : 185-186

14. Saussurea pseudolingulata Y. S. Chen , sp. nov. ( Fig. 14 )

Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Muli County, Galuo , alpine meadows, 4000 m, 21 July 2007, Y. S. Chen 7117 (holotype PE; isotype PE) .

Herbs perennial, 10–30 cm tall. Caudex unbranched or branched at ground level, densely covered with dark brown remains of petioles. Stems solitary or several, simple, light green, 1.5–4 mm in diameter, erect, sparsely white arachnoid tomentose to glabrescent. Basal leaves petiolate; petioles 1.5–4 cm long; leaf blade narrowly elliptic, 5–11 cm long, 1–2 cm wide, runcinate pinnately lobed and margin obtusely dentate, adaxially green and glabrous, abaxially grayish white and densely arachnoid tomentose; lateral lobes 6–13 pairs, obliquely triangular, margin usually entire or with one small tooth, apex acute and mucronate; terminal lobe triangular, margin entire, apex acute. Stem leaves 2–4, sessile or subsessile, smaller and with fewer lobes as basal leaves; uppermost leaves linear, margin usually entire or nearly entire. Capitula solitary, on the top of the stem. Involucre campanulate, 1.5–1.7 cm in diameter, 1.8–2 mm high. Phyllaries in ca. 5 rows, blackish purple, sparsely pilose, apex long acuminate; outer and middle phyllaries linear to lanceolatelinear, 13–16 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide; inner phyllaries linear, 18–20 mm long, 1–1.5 mm wide. Receptacle bristles acerose, 7–8 mm long. Corolla purple, 13–14 mm long, tube 7–8 mm long, limb ca. 6 mm long. Anthers ca. 9 mm long including tails; tails lanate, ca. 1.5 mm long. Achenes cylindroid, blackish, ca. 3.5 mm long, ribbed, glabrous. Pappus pale brown; outer bristles 3–3.5 mm long, scabrid; inner bristles 10–11 mm long, plumose.

Distribution and habitat:— Saussurea pseudolingulata occurs in Hengduan Mountain region in NW Yunnan, SW Sichuan and SE Xizang. It grows on thicket slopes or meadows at altitudes of 2800–4200 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from July to October.

Etymology:—The specific epithet reflects the similarity of the new species to S. lingulata Franchet (1896: 423) from western Sichuan and NW Yunnan. Chinese name: LJṬǻṈLẄ.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— CHINA. Xizang: Zayü County, from Sangjiu to Ridong , 28°47 ʹ N, 97°37 ʹ E, alpine meadows, 4110 m, 16 September 2012, FLPH Tibet Expedition 12-1375 ( PE) ; Zayü County, Ridong , 4200 m, 13 July 2008, DLJ-ET 1974 ( PE) ; Yunnan: Dali County, Cang Shan, Huadianba , meaodws, 15 June 1940, R. C. Ching 22956 ( KUN, PE) ; Dêqên County, Dorkla , 3800–4100 m, rocky slopes, 1 August 1940, K. M. Feng 6247 ( KUN) ; Dêqên County, Baima Shan , 4020 m, meadows, 27 July 1937, T. T. Yu 9214 ( KUN, PE) ; Gongshan County, Salwin-Kiukiang divide, 3600 m, 20 August 1928, T. T. Yu 20806 ( A, KUN, PE) ; Lijiang County, Yulong Shan, 6 August 1939, R. C. Ching 21134 ( A, KUN, PE) ; Shangri-la County, Chiren, 3300 m, 24 July 1937, T. T. Yu 12404 ( KUN, PE), Shangri-la County , Chiren , 3300 m, 15 October 1937, T. T. Yu 13710 ( BM, KUN, PE) ; Shangri-la County, Xiajiuluo, 3400 m, in Larix forests, 16 August 1962, Zhongdian Expedition 919 ( KUN, PE) ; Weixi County, Yezhi Xiang, 3600 m, August 1935, C. W. Wang 68623 ( A, KUN, PE) ; Sichuan: Muli County, mount Konka, Konkaling , June–August 1928, J. F. Rock 16877 ( E, GH) ; Yanyuan County, Huolu Shan, 3800 m, thickets and meadows, 24 July 1983, Qinghai-Xizang Expedition 12379 ( A, PE) .

Discussion:—In our molecular tree, S. pseudolingulata is shown to be weakly related to S. xianrendongensis . It is most similar to S. lingulata Franchet (1896: 423) in its leaf blade runcinate pinnately lobed (vs. usually lyrate pinnately lobed), lateral lobes 6–13 pairs (vs. 4–9 pairs), capitula always solitary (vs. usually 2–5, rarely 1), involucre 1.5–1.7 cm in diameter (vs. 1–1.5 cm in diameter), and phyllaries mostly linear, blackish purple and pilose (vs. mostly narrowly ovate-elliptic, green and glabrous). It is also similar to S. yunnanensis var. runcinata Franchet (1888: 340) in its habit, leaf blade runcinate pinnately lobed, leaves abaxially grayish white arachnoid tomentose, capitula solitary, and phyllaries apex long acuminate, but differs by its leaves with lobes in 6–13 pairs (vs. 0–7 pairs), and phyllaries mostly linear, blackish purple and pilose (vs. triangular-subulate to elliptic, green to purple, and more or less white lanate). A comparison of S. pseudolingulata with related taxa is given in Table 12.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Saussurea pseudolingulata. A. Habit. B. Anther. C. Phyllaries (from left to right, outer to inner series). D. Outer pappus bristle. E. Inner pappus bristle. F. Floret. G. Style branches. H. Achene.All from Y. S. Chen 7117 (PE). Drawn by Mrs. Z.J. Chen.