Saussurea minutiloba 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 : 179-181

11. Saussurea minutiloba Y. S. Chen , sp. nov. (Fig. 11)

Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Daocheng County, Wongtula Shan , mountain slope grassy region, 4000 m, 21 August 1937, T. T. Yu 12816 (holotype PE; isotypes KUN, PE) .

Herbs perennial, 3–5 cm tall, caespitose. Caudex slender, usually numerously branched at ground level, covered with remains of petioles, often with several leaf rosettes and flowering shoots. Stems short, usually numerous, sparsely arachnoid. Rosette and basal leaves petiolate; petiole 1–2 cm long, ca. 1 mm wide, slender; leaf blade lanceolate, pinnatisect, 2.5–5 cm long, 3–7 mm wide, adaxially dark green, abaxially grayish white, densely arachnoid; lobe segments 6–13 pairs, ovate or triangular-ovate, 1.5–3 mm long, 1–2 mm wide, margin entire, apex acute and mucronate; midveins less than 0.5 mm wide, winged. Cauline leaves 1–3, petiolate, smaller than basal leaves. Capitula solitary, terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, 1–1.5 cm in diameter. Phyllaries in ca. 4 rows, sparsely pilose; outer phyllaries narrowly linear, 8–10 mm long, 0.4–0.8 mm wide, apex acuminate; middle phyllaries lanceolate, 10–12 mm long and ca. 1–1.5 mm wide, apex acuminate; inner phyllaries linear-lanceolate, 12–13 mm long and ca. 1.4 mm wide, apex acuminate. Receptacle bristles 1–3 mm long. Corolla purplish-blue, 14–15 mm long, tube 6–7 mm long, limb 7–8 mm long, lobes 3–4 mm long. Anthers ca. 6 mm long, auricles with lacerate tails ca. 1 mm long. Achenes cylindroid, ca. 3 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, glabrous, apex with a short truncate crown. Pappus brown; outer bristles 1.5–2.3 mm long, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 9 mm long, plumose.

Figure 11. Saussurea minutiloba . A. Habit. B. Corolla with style and anthers. C. Phyllaries (from left to right, outer to inner series). D. Achene. E. Pappus. All from T. T.Yu 12816 ( PE). Drawn by Mrs. P. Liu.

Distribution and habitat:— Saussurea minutiloba occurs in the southern Hengduan mountain (southwestern

Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan). It grows on alpine sandy meadows or rocky slopes at altitudes of 4000–4400 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to September.

Etymology:—The specific epithet reflects the small lobe segments of leaf blades of the new species. Chinese name: ṬṄṈLẄ.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— CHINA. Sichuan: Muli County, Tangyang Xiang, Buchang , 4150 m, on rocky slopes, 10 September 1983, Qinghai-Xizang Expedition 13938 ( KUN, PE) ; Muli County, Sanqu to Basong Pass , scree slopes, 4300 m, 14 September 1983, Qinghai-Xizang Expedition 14783 ( KUN, PE) ; Xiangcheng County, Rewu Xiang, Rechong , rocky slopes, 4400 m, 15 August 1981, Qinghai-Xizang Expedition 4103 ( CDBI, KUN, PE) ; Yunnan: Shangri-la County, Gezan Xiang, Hong Shan , 4200 m, 9 September 1998, Q. E. Yang & H. Z. Kong 98-313 ( PE) .

Discussion:— Saussurea minutiloba belongs to S. subgen. Saussurea sect. Strictae because of its pinnately lobed leaves and solitary capitula. It is similar to S. leontodontoides in its short stems and pinnately lobed leaves, but differs by its caudex usually numerously branched and slender (vs. few branched and stout), flowering stems numerous (vs. solitary to few), leaf segment ovate or triangular-ovate, margin entire (vs. elliptic, semiorbicular, quadrangular, ovate, or subtriangular, margin dentate and 1–2 teeth), involucre 1–1.5 cm in diameter (vs. 1.5–3 cm in diameter), phyllaries sparsely pilose (vs. glabrous), achenes ribbed and smooth (vs. slight transversely rugose), and inner pappus ca. 9 mm long (vs. 1–1.7 cm long). A comparison of S. minutiloba with related species is given in Table 9.