Ranunculus chongzhouensis W.T. Wang, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 35(5): 645. 2015

Fei, Wen-Qun, Yuan, Qiong & Yang, Qin-Er, 2023, Ranunculus maoxianensis (Ranunculaceae), a new species from northwestern Sichuan, China, with an emended description of R. chongzhouensis, the putative closest ally of the new species, PhytoKeys 219, pp. 77-96 : 77

Ranunculus chongzhouensis W.T. Wang, Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 35(5): 645. 2015

Figs 3 -10

Type.

China. Sichuan: Chongzhou city, Anzihe Nature Reserve, Jiguan Shan , alt. 3000 m, in forests, 27 July 2007, Z.B. Feng, D.H. Zhu & X.J. Li 4171 (holotype: PE!; isotypes: WCSBG!) .

Description.

Herbs perennial, terrestrial. Roots fibrous, slender. Stems 10-25 cm tall, ascending or erect, branched, puberulous. Basal leaves 5-8, 3-lobed or 3-partite, long petiolate; petioles 4-10 cm long, sparsely puberulous; blades 2.2-3.1 × 3.1-3.7 cm, reniform, chartaceous, adaxially green, appressed puberulous with hairs 0.55-0.85 mm long, abaxially light green, glabrous, sometimes puberulous, base cordate, central segment 0.6-1 × 0.9-1.4 cm, obtrapezoid or obovate-obtrapezoid, margin 3-crenulate, lateral segments 0.8-1.2 × 1.5-2.3 cm, obliquely flabellate, unequally 2-lobed, margin crenulate. Lower cauline leaves 1 or absent, similar to basal ones but smaller. Upper cauline leaves 2-3, 3-sected, subsessile, segments 1.1-1.5 × 0.3-0.9 mm, obliquely flabellate, lanceolate to linear, margin entire or 3-4-lobed. Inflorescences terminal, 4-10-flowered. Flowers 1.4-1.6 cm in diameter; pedicels 5-10 cm long, appressed puberulous; receptacles 3-5 mm long, clavate, puberulous; sepals 5, 3.9-4.5 × 2.5-3 mm, elliptic to obovate, green tinged with yellowish, adaxially glabrous, abaxially puberulous; petals 5(-6), 6-7 × 4.5-5 mm, obovate, yellow, glabrous, apex truncate or subtruncate, nectary pit without a scale, claw ca. 0.5 mm long; stamens 12-18, filaments ca. 2 mm long, narrowly linear, anthers ca. 1 mm long, oblong; gynoecium ellipsoid; carpels 20-40, ovaries ca. 0.9 × 0.8 mm, ovoid or widely ovoid, laterally flattened, biconvex, puberulous, styles ca. 0.9 mm long, glabrous, apex slightly recurved. Aggregate fruit ca. 7 × 5 mm, ellipsoid; achenes ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, obliquely or widely ovoid, laterally flattened, biconvex, puberulous, styles ca. 1 mm long, persistent, straight or apex recurved.

Phenology.

Flowering from June to July; fruiting from July to August.

Distribution and habitat.

Ranunculus chongzhouensis is distributed in Baoxing, Chongzhou, Dayi, Heishui, Luding, Songpan, and Xiaojin in Sichuan province, China (Fig. 13 ). It grows in forests or meadows at elevations of 2900-4150 m above sea level.

Additional specimens examined.

China. Sichuan: Baoxing, W.Q. Fei & H.S. Wu 371 (IBSC); Chongzhou, W.Q. Fei 915 (IBSC), W.B. Ju, L. Zhang & D.K. Chen AZH01296 (CDBI); Dayi, W.Q. Fei 577 (IBSC), J.P. Luo & H.M. Li 613 (IBSC), Y.P. Zeng, Y.F. Luo & Y.Q. Tao 149 (IBSC); Heishui, W.Q. Fei 719 (IBSC); Luding, W.Q. Fei 754 (IBSC); Songpan, W.Q. Fei 725 (IBSC); Xiaojin, W.Q. Fei & H.S. Wu 395 (IBSC) .

Figures

Figure 3. Holotype (A) and isotype (B, C) sheets of Ranunculus chongzhouensis, showing the general morphology and indumentum of leaf blade (D-G), aggregate fruit (H, I) and receptacle (H) D, E portion of adaxial side of leaf blade (appressed puberulous with longer hairs) from A and B respectively E, G portion of abaxial side of leaf blade (glabrous) from A and B respectively H, I portion of aggregate fruit (puberulous) from A and C respectively H portion of the receptacle (puberulous) from A.

Figure 10. Selected specimens of Ranunculus chongzhouensis from Baoxing (A), Heishui (B), Luding (C) and Songpan (D) in Sichuan province, China A W. Q. Fei 371 (IBSC) B W. Q. Fei 719 (IBSC) C W. Q. Fei 754 (IBSC) D W. Q. Fei 725 (IBSC).

Figure 13. Distribution of Ranunculus chongzhouensis (■) and R. maoxianensis (●). Black arrow indicates the type locality of R. chongzhouensis, i. e., Chongzhou city in Sichuan province, China.