Epimedium glandulosopilosum H.R.Liang, Acta Phytotaxon. Sin. 28: 323. 1990

Xu, Yanqin, Liu, Linjian, Liu, Shaoxiong, He, Yiming, Li, Renqing & Ge, Fei, 2019, The taxonomic relevance of flower colour for Epimedium (Berberidaceae), with morphological and nomenclatural notes for five species from China, PhytoKeys 118, pp. 33-64 : 49-51

5. Epimedium glandulosopilosum H.R.Liang, Acta Phytotaxon. Sin. 28: 323. 1990 Fig. 7

Type.

CHINA. Chongqing: Wushan, 850 m, 25 April 1987, H. R. Liang 144 (holotype: BCMM, lost); Chongqing: Wushan, 1000 m, 19 April 1989, B. L. Guo 89003 (neotype, designated by Zhang et al. 2011: IMD! without accession number or barcode).

Description.

Herbs 16-80 cm tall. Rhizome long creeping or compact, 1-5 mm in diam., internodes can be more than 10 cm. Leaves basal and cauline, usually trifoliolate or occasionally unifoliolate; leaflets of trifoliolate leaves narrowly ovate or lanceolate, 4.6-15.3 × 2.4-7.6 cm, apex acuminate, base deeply or shallowly cordate with a narrow sinus, terminal leaflet with equal and obtuse lobes, lateral leaflets conspicuously oblique with inner lobe small and obtuse, outer lobe larger and obtuse, acute or acuminate. Unifoliolate leaves ovate, broadly ovate or lanceolate, 5.0-13.0 × 2.5-6.5 cm, apex acuminate, base deeply cordate with lobes equal and obtuse or acute. Leaves coriaceous, margin spinous-serrate, adaxially deep green, obtuse, abaxially covered with villi. Petiolule, petiole and flowering stem with multicellular glandular hairs and villi, which are densest at nodes. Flowering stems usually have 2 opposite trifoliolate leaves, sometimes with 3 whorled trifoliolate leaves, 1 unifoliolate or trifoliolate leaf, rarely with 2 opposite unifoliolate or 2 leaves (alternate or opposite) with one trifoliolate and the other unifoliolate. Inflorescence racemose or compound with 8 –24(– 36)-flowered, 9.6-16 cm long; inflorescence axis and pedicels glandular pubescent. Pedicel 1-3 cm long. Flowers, ca. 3 cm, pale yellow, pale purple or purple. Sepals 8 in 2 whorls; outer sepals ovate, ca. 3.5 × 2 mm, red-purple; inner sepals narrowly ovate, 8-10 × 4-6 mm, white to faintly pink. Petals spurred without lamina, pale yellow, pale purple or purple, horn-shaped, 13-20 mm long. Stamens ca. 4 mm long; anthers yellow or green, ca. 3 mm long. Follicles oblong, 12-19 mm long; style rostriform. Seeds numerous.

Distribution and habitat.

Endemic to Chongqing, Western of China, usually occurs in forests or thickets. The elevations ranged from 850 m to 1160 m (Fig. 4 ).

Phenology.

Epimedium glandulosopilosum flowers from April to May, and fruits from May to June.

Taxonomical remarks.

The observations of the present study showed that only several individuals had yellowish flowers, while the rest had pale purple or purple flowers (Fig. 7 ). Only two specimens of E. glandulosopilosum are available for reference, but the specimens showed similar results. B. L. Guo & X. Z. Luo 89003 described the flower colour as whitish to pale purple, rarely yellow, while B. L. Guo A15 described it as pale purple or pale yellow.

The protologue and the Flora of China described E. glandulosopilosum as "outer sepals narrowly ovate, 8-9 × 4-5 mm, inner sepals similar to outer sepals in size and shape" ( Liang et al. 1990; Ying et al. 2011). However, according to our observation in the field and cultivation, the outer sepals (ovate, 3.5 × 2 mm) were obviously narrower and shorter than inner sepals (narrowly ovate, 8-10 × 4-6 mm).

In the present study, all individuals from the population CQWX (Wuxi) were with long creeping and slender rhizomes (1-3 mm in diam.) (Fig. 7 ; S. X. Liu et al. 2016018). The herbarium specimens from Wushan (B. L. Guo & X. Z. Luo 89003) and Wuxi (B. L. Guo A15) also presented creeping rhizome. The rhizome was therefore revised as long creeping or compact.

The leaves of some individuals were densely covered with golden-yellow villi on the abaxial side. And the petiolule, petiole and flowering stem were covered with multicellular glandular-hairs and golden-yellow villous, which are densest at the nodes. However, these indumentum characters were not stable and exhibited great variation in colour and thickness. Depending on the individuals and/or developmental stage (young or old), the indumentum of the abaxial villi varied continuously from dense to sparse, and the colour was also not always typical golden-yellow, ranging from white to yellow.

Our field investigation showed that the flowering stem primarily had 2 opposite trifoliolate leaves. In addition, abundant variations, such as 1 unifoliolate or trifoliolate leaf, 2 opposite unifoliolate leaves or 2 alternate leaves with one trifoliolate and the other unifoliolate, were also observed. And all these styles were presented in two specimens (Wushan: B. L. Guo & X. Z. Luo 89003 and Wuxi: B. L. Guo A15).

Additional specimens examined.

CHINA. Chongqing: Tongcheng, Wuxi, 1159 m, 14 April 2004, B. L. Guo A15 (IMD); Tongcheng, Wuxi, 1161 m, 109°46', 31°23', 23 April 2016, S. X. Liu et al. 2016018 (JXCM); Guandu, Wushan, 1000 m, 19 April 1989, B. L. Guo & X. Z. Luo 89003 (IMD).

Key to the species of Epimedium in China

In total, 57 species and 6 varieties have been described from China, although 16 of these were designated as synonyms. Epimedium platypetalum var. tenue B.L.Guo & P.K.Hsiao was treated as synonym of E. pauciflorum ( Stearn 2002). Epimedium simplicifolium T.S.Ying and E. chlorandrum Stearn were treated as synonyms of E. acuminatum ( Zhang et al. 2011; Zhang et al. 2015). Epimedium sagittatum var. guizhouense S.Z.He & B.L.Guo and E. pudingense S.Z.He, Y.Y.Wang & B.L.Guo were treated as a synonym of E. sagittatum (Sieb. &Zucc.) Maxim. and E. sagittatum var. glabratum T.S.Ying, respectively ( Xu et al. 2014b). Epimedium coactum H.R.Liang et W.M.Yan, E. coactum var. longtouhum H.R.Liang, E. myrianthum var. jianheense S.Z.He et B.L.Guo, E. multiflorum Ying and E. jingzhouense G.H.Xia & G.Y.Li were integrated into E. myrianthum Stearn ( Xu et al. 2014b). Epimedium rhizomatosum Stearn, E. brachyrrhizum Stearn, E. dewuense S.Z.He, Probst et W.F.Xu, E. sagittatum var. oblongifoliolatum were treated as synonyms of E. membranaceum Stearn, E. leptorrhizum , E. dolihostemon Stearn and E. borealiguizhouense S.Z.He & Y.K.Yang, respectively ( Zhang et al. 2015). Epimedium lishihchenii Stearn and E. baojingense Q.L.Chen & B.M.Yang were treated as subspecies and variety of E. franchetii Stearn, respectively ( Liu et al. 2016). Additionally, Epimedium tianmenshanense T.Deng, D.G.Zhang & H.Sun is an insufficiently known taxon, due to the petals being found to be highly variable in morphology (both shape and size) (our field observation). Therefore, 45 species, 1 subspecies ( E. franchetii ssp. lishihchenii ) and 2 varieties ( E. sagittatum var. glabratum T.S.Ying, E. franchetii var. baojingense ) are recognised.

Figures

Figure 4. Geographical variation in flower colour patterns within E. leptorrhizum (boxes), E. pauciflorum (circles), E. mikinorii (diamonds) and E. glandulosopilosum (triangle). The colour of the boxes, circles, diamonds and triangle represent flower colour. The population codes are shown in Table 1. The left area of the red dotted line is western China.

Figure 7. The variations and morphological characters of E. glandulosopilosum. A variations of flower colour B-F variations of the number and arrangement of stem-leaves G creeping and slender rhizome.