Saussurea dulongjiangensis 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 : 194-196

19. Saussurea dulongjiangensis Y. S. Chen , sp. nov. ( Fig. 19 )

Type.— CHINA. Yunnan: Gongshan County, east side of the pass to Dulongjiang Xiang , 27°46 ʹ 18 ʺ N, 98°27 ʹ 2 ʺ E, in thickets with Rhododendron and bamboo, 3670 m, 5 October 2002, Gaoligong shan Biodiversity Survery 17014 (holotype KUN; isotypes CAS, E) .

Herbs perennial, 10–15 cm tall. Caudex usually branched at ground level, brown, ca. 5 cm long, covered with withered remains of petioles, with many rootlets. Stems usually several, simple, white tomentose, ca. 2 mm in diameter, capitula much taller than basal leaves. Basal leaves rosette, sessile, leaf blade linear, 5–9 cm long, 3–4 mm wide, adaxially green and glabrous, abaxially grayish white, densely tomentose, margin entire, apex acute; stem leaves 6–10, similar to basal leaves in shape but usually smaller in size, base semiamplexicaul, margin entire. Synflorescence hemispheric, 3–3.5 cm in diameter. Capitula 5–11, densely congested, terminal on stem; peduncles 2–6 mm long. Involucre campanulate, 5–6 mm in diameter. Phyllaries in 4–5 rows, base brown, apex purplish black, abaxially villous, apex acuminate; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, 7–8 mm long, 3–4 mm wide; inner phyllaries oblong-ovate, ca. 7 mm long, ca. 2 mm wide. Receptacle bristles 5–6 mm long. Corolla purple, ca. 7 mm long, tube ca. 3.5 mm long, limb ca. 3.5 mm long, lobes ca. 1.5 mm long. Anthers ca. 6 mm long including tails; tails lacerate, 1.3–1.4 mm long. Achenes cylindroid, ca. 3.2 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide. Pappus dirty blackish brown; outer pappus scabrid, 2–2.5 mm long; inner pappus plumose, ca. 5.5 mm long.

Distribution and habitat:— Saussurea dulongjiangensis is currently only known from Gongshan County, northwestern Yunnan, China. It grows on alpine meadows or thickets at altitudes of 3400–3700 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to October.

Etymology:—The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, Dulongjiang Xiang. Chinese name: üżữ ṈLẄ.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— CHINA. Yunnan: Gongshan County, pass between Gongshan to Dulongjiang, alpine meadows, 3400–3600 m, 29 July 2013, X. H. Jin et al. ST1223 (PE).

Discussion:— Saussurea dulongjiangensis belongs to S. subgen. Saussurea sect. Lagurostemon because its leaf blade entire, linear and grasslike, root and caudex not fibrously split. Our molecular tree shows S. dulongjiangensis is closely related to S. pseudorockii Chen (2014b: 145) , which also occurs in Gongshan County, Yunnan. It is similar to S. pseudorockii in its linear and grassy leaves, and phyllary apex acuminate, but differs by its distinct stem (vs. nearly stemless), leaf blade 5–9 cm long and 3–4 mm wide (vs. 10–22 cm long and 4–6 mm wide), involucre 5–6 mm in diameter (vs. 15–25 mm in diameter), capitula 5–11 (vs. solitary), pappus dirty blackish brown (vs. yellowish white), and inner pappus ca. 5.5 mm long (vs. 15–18 mm long).

Saussurea dulongjiangensis is similar to S. delavayi Franchet (1888: 355) in its linear and entire leaves and congested synflorescence on the top of the stem, but differs by its capitula 5–11 (vs. 10–37), uppermost stem leaves not spreading stellately around synflorescence (vs. uppermost stem leaves spreading stellately around synflorescence), involucre 5–6 mm in diameter (vs. 8–12 mm in diameter). It is also similar to S. rockii Anthony (1934: 211) in its habit and linear leaves, but differs by its capitula 5–11 (vs. solitary), involucre 5–6 mm in diameter (vs. 15–20 mm in diameter), inner pappus ca. 5.5 mm long (vs. 7–10 mm long), leaf margin entire (vs. usually denticulate), stem much higher than basal leaves (vs. usually not higher than basal leaves). A comparison of S. dulongjiangensis with related species is given in Table 16.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Saussurea dulongjiangensis. A. Habit. B. Capitulum. C. Achene. D. Anther. E. Floret (with pappus removed). F. Style branches. G. Floret. H. Phyllaries (from left to right, outer to inner series). I. Outer pappus bristle. J. Inner pappus bristle. All from Gaoligong shan Biodiversity Survery 17014 (KUN, E). Drawn by Mrs. Z.J. Chen.