Sadiria yingjiangensis Ze H.Wang & H.Peng, 2019

Wang, Ze-Huan, Wang, Li-Yan, Li, Rong-Jia & Peng, Hua, 2019, Sadiria yingjiangensis (Myrsinoideae, Primulaceae), a new species reported from West Yunnan, China, Phytotaxa 392 (1), pp. 93-96 : 93-95

Sadiria yingjiangensis Ze H.Wang & H.Peng , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Similar to S. longistyla , but differs mainly in having only 3(–4) leaves clustered on the plant apex (vs (5–)6(–7)), inflorescences pyramid-paniculate (vs fasciculate cymose), sepals 1/3 length of the petals (vs 1/8).

Type: — CHINA. Yunnan: Yingjiang County, Tongbiguan Town, Jianbian Village, Mai-yi-qing Mountain, 24.626°N, 97.620°E, elev. ca. 1610 m, 18 May 2017, Wang et al. WZH201705_002 (holotype KUN!).

Shrubs 0.2–0.5 m tall. Branchlets angulate, ca. 1 mm in diam., grayish puberulent, glabrescent. Three (seldom four) leaves clustered on the plant apex, [6–]10–18 × [2–] 4–6 cm, base slightly auricular; leaves on flowering branches 2–4, much smaller, 5–7 × 2–2.5 cm, base broadly cuneate. All the leaves thinly leathery, glabrous, leaf blade obovate, margin unevenly dentate to crenate-dentate, apex acuminate to approximately caudate; lateral veins 14–18 on each side of midrib, prominently sunk adaxially and raised abaxially; fine veins greatly visible, slightly sunk adaxially and prominently raised abaxially; Petiole canaliculate, 5–8 mm. Inflorescences axillary, pyramid-paniculate, ca. 2.5 × 3.5 cm, pilose, pendulous. Flowers papery, ca. 3 mm, 4 or 5-merous, narrowly opened at the end of flowering. Pedicel ca. 4–5 mm, pilose. Sepals triangular-ovate, ca. 1 mm, one-third the length of the petals, pilose, orange punctate, margin white and ciliate, apex acute. Petals united ca. 3/5 way to base; lobes broadly ovate, glabrous, sparsely yellowish to orangish punctate, base slightly auriculate, margin entire, apex acute. Stamens half the length of petals; filaments short; anthers ovate to oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, dehiscent by longitudinal slits. Ovary ellipsoid, punctate; Style gradually elongate with flowering, to ca. 1.2 times length of the petals, spiculate, glabrous; Stigma punctiform. Fruit immature, globose, ca. 4 mm in diam., green.

Distribution and Habitat: — Sadiria yingjiangensis is currently only known from Tongbiguan Town, Yingjiang County, where only one small in situ population was discovered with ca. 10 individuals in an area of ca. 2 m 2. It grows in the damp area under the monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in valleys at elevation of 1610 m, very close to (<2 m) one subpopulation of the recently published new species S. longistyla ( Wang et al. 2018) .

Phenology: —Flowering from February to June, and fruiting from July to December.

Etymology: —The epithet “ yingjiangensis ” is derived from the name “Yingjiang” of the county where the species occurs.

Notes: — Sadiria longistyla is a new species also reported from Yingjiang County, Tongbiguan Town, where three small subpopulations distributed in an area of ca. 700 m 2. It grows in the damp area under the monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in valleys at elevation range of 1350–1630 m ( Wang et al. 2018). This species usually has six leaves clustered on the plant apex, fasciculate cymose inflorescences and sepals only 1/8 length of petals. S. yingjiangensis , although growing in the same habitat and distributing just beside one subpopulation of S. longistyla , can be easily distinguished from the latter by usually having only three leaves clustered on the plant apex, pyramid-paniculate inflorescences and sepals 1/3 length of petals ( Table 1).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Sadiriayingjiangensis. A.plants;B.three new apical leaves; C. flowering branches withinflorescences;D. pyramid-paniculate inflorescences; E. young green fruit; F. flower; G. part of sepals; H. corolla and anthers; I. pistil. Photographed by Ze H.Wang.