Saussurea pseudoyunnanensis 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 : 196-198

20. Saussurea pseudoyunnanensis Y. S. Chen , sp. nov. ( Fig. 20 )

Type:— CHINA. Yunnan: Shangri-la County, Nixi Xiang , Yagong snow Mountain , 28°05 ʹ N, 99°31 ʹ E, on mossy rocky slopes in Quercus forests, 3740–4100 m, 30 August 2010, Kham Expedition 10-3032 (holotype PE; isotypes PE) .

Herbs perennial, 20–40(–60) cm tall. Caudex usually branched at ground level, with numerous fibrous lacerate residue of old leaves. Stems several, erect, simple, sparsely white arachoid to glabrescent. Leaves mostly basal; basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole 1.5–3 cm, glabrous; leaf blade linear, 5–19(–22) cm long, 3.5–13 mm wide, margin mostly entire, rarely with a few obscure teeth at lower part, adaxially green, glabrous, abaxially grayish white, arachnoid tomentose, apex acute. Middle and upper stem leaves 2–3, gradually smaller upward on stem. Capitula solitary, terminal on stem. Involucre broadly campanulate, 1.3–1.8 cm in diameter and 1.4–1.6 cm high. Phyllaries in ca. 5 rows, apex acute, blackish purple; outer phyllaries triangular-oblong, ca. 12 mm long, 2–3 mm wide, white lanate, apex patent; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 12–13 mm long, ca. 3 mm wide, white lanate, apex patent; inner phyllaries linear, 13–15 mm long, 1.8–2.5 mm wide, apex acuminate, appressed and lanate. Receptacle bristles 5–8 mm long. Corolla purple, 15–16 mm long, tube 7–8 mm long, limb ca. 8 mm long, lobes 4–5 mm long, linear. Anthers blackish, ca. 8 mm long including tails, apical appendage acute, auricles with lacerate tails ca. 1.5 mm long; style branches ca. 2.2 mm long. Achenes cylindroid, black, ca. 4.5 mm long, ribbed, glabrous, apex with a denticulate crown. Pappus light brown; outer bristles 3–5 mm long, scabrid; inner bristles 11–12 mm long, plumose.

Distribution and habitat:— Saussurea pseudoyunnanensis is currently only known from two localities in northwestern Yunnan and southeastern Xizang, China. It grows on rocks or grassy slopes along forest margin at altitudes of 3350–4100 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to September.

Etymology:—The specific epithet reflects the similarity of the new species to S. yunnanensis Franchet (1888: 340) . Chinese name: LJĀṀṈLẄ.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— CHINA. Yunnan: Chungtien (= Shangri-la County), Baoschi, 3400 m, 17 August 1915, Handel-Mazzetti 7699 (K).

Discussion:—No species are shown to be closely related to S. pseudoyunnanensis in our molecular tree. However, a very similar specimen (FLPH Tibet Expedition 12-2118) in PE from southeastern Xizang is shown to be closely related to S. leptolepis Handel-Mazzeti (1938: 337) .

Saussurea pseudoyunnanensis is similar to S. yunnanensis Franchet (1888: 340) in habit, leaf shape and size and capitula size, but differs by its leaves always linear (vs. elliptic, narrowly elliptic or linear), phyllaries apex acute and patent (vs. long acuminate and appressed), and pappus light brown (vs. dirty white). It is similar to S. leptolepis in habit and narrow leaves, but differs by its stems 20–60 cm tall (vs. 2–21 cm tall), leaf blade 5–19(–22) cm long (vs. 3–6 cm long), and phyllaries white lanate, apex acute and patent (vs. sparsely pubescent, apex acuminate and appressed). A comparison of S. pseudoyunnanensis with related species is given in Table 17.

Figures

FIGURE 20. Saussurea pseudoyunnanensis. A. Habit. B. Style branches. C. Phyllaries (from left to right, outer to inner series). D. Floret. E. Leaf section (abaxial surface). F. Anthers. G. Floret (with pappus removed). H. Outer pappus bristle. I. Inner pappus bristle. All from Kham Expedition 10-3032 (PE). Drawn by Mr. Y.X. Zhu.