Aquilegia yangii Y. Luo & L. Li, 2018

Luo, Yan, Erst, Andrey S., Yang, Chen-Xuan, Deng, Jian-Ping & Li, Lu, 2018, Aquilegia yangii (Ranunculaceae), a new species from western China, Phytotaxa 348 (4), pp. 289-296 : 290-293

Aquilegia yangii Y. Luo & L. Li , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–3 )

Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Jiuzhaigou County, Shenxianchi, 33°18´27.75´´N, 103°46´20.35´´E, 2400 m, forest margins, 21 June 2017, Y. Luo et al. 596 (holotype, KUN1341140!). ( Fig. 1 ).

Perennial herb with short vertical taproot. Stems 40–100 (150) cm tall, proximally sparsely spreading pubescent, distally densely glandular pubescent, often branched. Basal leaves rosulate, one to several, 2-ternate; petioles 8–22 cm long, sparsely spreading pubescent; leaf blade abaxially sparsely pubescent or glabrous, adaxially glabrous, margin spreading pubescent; lateral leaflets obliquely ovate, unequally 2-lobed to middle; central leaflet broadly obovate to flabellate, 1.6–5.3 × 2.6–5.0 cm, 3-lobed, segments with 2 or 3 obtuse teeth. Cauline leaves more than 2 in number. Bracts linear-lanceolate. Inflorescence 1–3-flowered. Flowers 2-coloured, pendulous, 1.0– 1.1 cm in diam., 2.0– 2.5 cm long. Pedicel 5–10 cm long, densely glandular pubescent. Sepals perpendicular to floral axis, narrowly ovate, dark purple, 6– 1.9 cm long, 0.4–0.5 cm wide, abaxially sparsely pubescent, acuminate at apex. Petals 2-coloured (spurs dark purple, laminae dark yellow), 1–1.4 cm long, suberect, with oblong-elliptic laminae 1.1–1.4 cm long, roundedtruncate at apex, shorter than sepals and longer than spurs; spurs divergent, 0.9–1.1 cm long, basally not inflated, thinned towards the apex, incurved apically. Stamens not exserted (shorter than or equal to petals), 0.7–1.1 cm long. Anthers yellow. Staminodia lanceolate, ca. 5 mm long. Follicles 5 to 6, 1.8–2.8 cm long (including the styles that can be up to 3 mm long), glandular pubescent. Seeds ca. 2 mm long, with irregularly swollen surface.

Etymology: —The specific epithet “ yangii ” refers to the name of Professor Qin-er Yang, a Chinese taxonomist who has long been working on the family Ranunculaceae .

Phenology: —Flowering May–June, fruiting June–August.

Distribution and habitat: — Aquilegia yangii is distributed in Gansu, Ningxia, Qinghai and Sichuan in western China ( Fig. 4). It grows at margin of forests or on grassy slopes at altitudes of 2000–3000 m a.s.l.

Conservation status: —The appropriate data on abundance and/or distribution of Aquilegia yangii are lacking. It can be included in the Not Evaluated (NE) category of the IUCN Red List categories (IUCN 2016) as there is inadequate information to make a direct or indirect assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution and/or population status.

Additional specimens examined: — CHINA. Gansu: Minxian County, 2300 m, 28 June 1930, K.S. Hao 690 ( WUK0003245 ) ; Minxian County, Mawu , in ravine, 2100 m, 26 June 1936, T.P. Wang 4563 ( WUK0049167 ) ; Tianzhu County, 2720 m, 24August 1957, L.C. Gong 88 ( PE00105493 ) ; Tianzhu County, Haxi Lingchang , 2600 m, 18 July 1991, T.N.Ho 2311 ( HNWP167051 ) ; Weiyuan County, Mt.Laojun, Huanghe River Group 1611 ( PE00105489 , WUK0083767 ) ; Wudu County, Lanshan , 2500 m, 21 June 1930, K.S. Hao 512 ( WUK0003248 ), 514 ( WUK0003246 ) ; Xiahe County, Qingshui , among weeds at foot of hills, 2400 m, 1 July 1937, K.T. Fu 895 ( WUK0049166 ) ; in shrubs, 2500 m, 6 July 1937, T.P. Wang 7098 ( PE00105488 , PE00105494 ) ; Yuzhong County, Mt. Xinglong , grassland, 2800 m, 2 July 1937, X.Q. Lei 108 ( PE1604817 ) ; in valley, 2250 m, 29 June 1941, J. Hoo & T.P. Wang 141 ( WUK0079634 ) ; in forest, 2500 m, 23 June 1957, T.P. Wang 18025 ( WUK0088529 ) ; 2100 m, 23 June 2015, Y. Luo & J.P. Deng 493 (HITBC [without barcode]); Zhugqu County, Gongba river , 2500 m, 4 August 1951, T.B. Wang 14736 ( PE00105496 , WUK0048995 ) ; Zhuoni County, in Picea forest, 3000 m, 28 July 1936, T.P. Wang 5348 ( PE00105511 , WUK0049162 ) . Qinghai: Datong County, Mt. Laoye , 2500 m, 19 July 1989, Z.H. Zhang et al. 238 ( HNWP156320 ), 276 ( HNWP156356 ) ; 2610 m, 28 June 1989, Y.L. Li 507 ( HNWP159451 ) ; 22 June 1962, Y.M. Liang 377 ( HNWP000265 ) ; 2300 m, 20 June 2015, Y. Luo & J.P. Deng 489 (HITBC [without barcode]); Datong County, Dongxia , 2750 m, 5 June 1990, X.J. Liu 90101 ( HNWP161265 ) ; Datong County, Baoku , 2850 m, 29 July 1989, Z.H. Zhang et al. 5154 ( HNWP158360 ), 4447 ( HNWP158360 ) ; Datong County, Kuanghuiszu , 2190 m, 5 August 1936, K.M. Liou 6499 ( WUK0049831 ) . Ningxia: Jingyuan County, Qiuqianjia , 5 June 1972, Ningxia Chinese Traditional Medicine Group 3-0089 ( WUK0293288 ) .

Sichuan: Jiuzhaigou County, Jiuzhaigou Panda Hai , in shrubs, 2300 m, 25 September 1986, C.Y. Wu et al. 814 ( KUN260183 , KUN260182 ) ; Songpan County, Xianjingou , along trails in ravine, 2500 m, 20 June 2017, Y. Luo et al. 590 (HITBC [without barcode]) .

Discussion:—The systematic position of Aquilegia yangii is still unclear. Although A. yangii has not yet been included in any molecular phylogenetic work, morphologically it seems to be closely related to A. oxysepala and A. kansuensis . These two species fell into two clades: Group 3 ( Aquilegia kansuensi s [as A. oxysepala var. kansuensis ]) and Group 5 ( A. oxysepala ) ( Fior et al. 2013). Aquilegia yangii is similar to A. oxysepala in having dark purple (claretred to violet) spurs and yellow (yellowish-white) lamina. However, it differs due to its thin spurs (not gibbous at the base), which are shorter than the laminae, and yellow anthers. It is similar to A. kansuensis in leaf shape, suberect, oblong-elliptic petal laminae that are longer than the spurs, but differs by having smaller flowers, yellow petal laminae (vs. white), yellow anthers and a seed coat irregularly swollen without obvious outlines of epidermis cells ( Fig. 5 ). Stamens of A. oxysepala and A. kansuensis become dark in older flowers as anthers dehisce, whereas A. yangii is characterized by yellow anthers throughout its flowering time ( Fig. 6 ). Individual plants or hybridogenetic populations characterized by intermediate features may occur in sites where the species’ habitats are in contact. In rare cases, one of the parent species may be absent from such locations, due to the activity of insect pollinators. The morphological differences between the new species, A. oxysepala and A. kansuensis are summarized in Table 1. The new species and A. kansuensis are geographically independent in western China, with the former occurring mainly in the Qinghai- Tibetan Plateau while the latter mainly in Mt. Qinling and Mt. Daba. Aquilegia oxysepala is more widespread in northeastern China.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Holotype sheet of Aquilegia yangii (KUN-1341140).

FIGURE 2. Aquilegia yangii in the wild (photographed by Y. Luo in Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China). A. Habitat and habit. B. Portion of inflorescence with flowers and young follicles. C. Basal leaf. D. Flower. E. Sepals (S) and petals (P). F. Stamens (St), staminodia (Sta) and pistils (Pi). G. Follicles.

FIGURE 3. Line illustration of Aquilegia yangii. A. Inflorescence. B. Flower. C. Sepal (abaxial side). D. Petal. E. Stamens. F. Pistils. G. Staminodium. H. Follicles.

FIGURE 5. SEM micrographs of seed surface in three species of Aquilegia. A, B. A. yangii. C, D. A. kansuensis. E, F. A. oxysepala. Scale bars: 100 μm (A, C, E) or 10 μm (B, D, F).

FIGURE 6. Flowers in three species of Aquilegia. A. A. kansuensis (photographed by B. Liu). B. A. yangii (photographed by B. Liu). C. A. oxysepala (photographed by D. Yakubov). Insets: flowers with the sepals and petals removed.