Corydalis microflora (C.Y.Wu & H.Chuang) Z.Y.Su & Liden , Novon 17(4): 484. ( Liden and Su 2007)

Chen 1, Jun-Tong, Kuang, Tian-Hui, Huang, Xian-Han, Zhang, Xin-Jian, Sun, Hang & Deng, Tao, 2022, Taxonomic identity of Corydalis lidenii (Papaveraceae), PhytoKeys 190, pp. 35-45 : 35

Corydalis microflora (C.Y.Wu & H.Chuang) Z.Y.Su & Liden, Novon 17(4): 484. ( Liden and Su 2007)

Corydalis flexuosa microflora ≡ Corydalis flexuosa var. microflora C.Y.Wu & H.Chuang, Acta Bot. Yunnan.13(2): 132 ( Zhuang and Wu 1991); C. flexuosa subsp. microflora (C.Y.Wu & H.Chuang) C.Y.Wu, Fl. Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 32: 118 ( Wu et al. 1999). - Type: China. Sichuan: Shimian County, Liziping Town, Tiezhaizi to Haizibian, June 1955, C.C. Hsieh & X.X. Kong 41235 (holotype: PE00934552!, isotype: IBSC0133200!)

Corydalis lidenii = Corydalis lidenii Z.Y.Su, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 30(4): 422 ( Su 2008), syn. nov. - Type: China. Sichuan: Luding County, Detuo Town, Yusaping, Maoxishangou, 2,000 m, in shrubs, 7 May 1984, Y.J. Li 189 (lectotype: CDBI149418!, designated here; isolectotype, CDBI149417!)

Description.

Herbs, perennial, (12-) 16-45 cm tall, glabrous. Rhizome short, with small crowded fleshy scales at base. Stems usually 1 or rarely 2, erect, slender, simple or with 1 tiny flower branch from upper leaf. Radical leaves 0 to 3 with long thin petiole 4-9 cm; blade glaucous abaxially, biternate, ca. 2.5-3 × 2.5-3 cm; leaflets obovate, entire to 3-lobed. Cauline leaves 1-3, like radical leaves; upper leaves shortly stalked or sessile, the lowest leaf usually with long thin petiole. Raceme lax, 4-12 cm, (2-)4-7(-9)- flowered; lower bract like upper cauline leaf, upper progressively smaller and less divided to entire. Pedicel thin, erect, usually 6-10 mm in flower, lower pedical to 20 mm. Sepals minute, 0.2-0.5 × 0.2-0.5 mm, dentate. Corolla pale purple. Outer petals subacute to shortly mucronate, without crest; upper petal 17-20 mm, spur straight or slightly downcurved, narrowly cylindric, 9-10 mm; nectary 1/2-3/5 as long as spur, thin; inner petals 8-10 mm. Stigma subcuneate at base with (8) 12 papillae. Capsule linear, 10-18 × ca. 1 mm, 5-13-seeded; style ca. 2.5 mm. Seeds ca. 1 mm, in 1 row.

Phenology.

Flowering and fruiting from May-June.

Distribution and habitat.

Corydalis microflora is a rare species with a narrow distribution in Sichuan, China (Shimian County, Luding County and Ganluo County). It grows in forest margins, open forest, or near valley stream at an elevation of 2,000-2,500 m. Associated species include Betula sp. ( Betulaceae ), Acer sp. ( Sapindaceae ), Rodgersia aesculifolia Batalin ( Saxifragaceae ), Paris sp. ( Melanthiaceae ), Veronica sutchuenensis Franch. ( Plantaginaceae ), Campylandra sp. and Ophiopogon sp. ( Asparagaceae ), Elatostema sp. ( Urticaceae ), Calanthe tricarinata Lindl. ( Orchidaceae ), Mimulus szechuanensis Y.Y.Pai ( Phrymaceae ), Corydalis davidii Franch. and Ichtyoselmis macrantha (Oliver) Lidén ( Papaveraceae ), amongst others.

Additional specimens examined.

- China. Sichuan: Ganluo County, Tianba Town to Lianghe Town , elev. ca. 2,500 m, 10 May 1979, Xichang institute of drug control 192 (SM); Luding County , Detuo Town , Yusaping , 29.53735N, 102.26755E, elev. ca. 2,060 m, under forests and forest margins, 22 May 2021, J.T.Chen & Z.Y.Lv Deng 10838 (KUN) .

Conservation status.

At present, Corydalis microflora has been found only in three places in Sichuan (Fig. 6 ), and only four specimens of this species have been collected so far. During a field investigation in 2021, we once again visited the Yusaping, Maoxishangou in Luding. Among four ravines investigated, this species was only found in one. The population was small, ca. 30 individuals were observed, with the extent of occurrence of ca. 1 km2. It was growing scattered in open deciduous broad-leaved forests near the mouth of the ravine. Further studies are needed to assess its conservation status, and we only temporarily assign it to the category 'Data Deficient’ (DD) of the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN 2019).

Figures

Figure 6. Distribution of Corydalis microflora. (Notes: the red dot represents type locality of C. lidenii and the black dot represents paratype locality of C. lidenii, the red triangle represents the type locality of C. microflora a the Box-plot of comparison of spur / inner petals of C. lidenii and C. microflora b the comparison of spur and inner petals of C. lidenii and C. microflora).