Saussurea langpoensis Y. S. Chen, 2014

Chen, You-Sheng, 2014, Six new species of Saussurea (Asteraceae) from eastern Himalaya, Phytotaxa 177 (4), pp. 191-206 : 193-195

2. Saussurea langpoensis Y. S. Chen , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 , 7C & 7D )

Type:— CHINA. Xizang: Cona, Langpo , near Dongzhang waterfall, sandy grassy slopes beside streams, 27°47’ N, 91°59’ E, 3580–3650 m, 11 August 2013, FLPH Tibet Exped.13-910 (holotype PE; isotypes PE) .

Herbs 20–35 cm tall, perennial. Caudex usually sparsely branched, blackish brown. Stems several, erect, simple, lanuginous in upper part. Basal and lower stem leaves petiolate; petiole (2.4–)3.5–10(–14) cm, base sheathed; leaf blade oblong to narrowly ovate-elliptic, base truncate, 4–13 × 2.2–5 cm, lyrate and runcinate-pinnately lobed; terminal lobe ovate-triangular, apex acute, distinctly larger than other ones; lateral lobes 2–4 pairs, triangular, margin sharply toothed, adaxially nearly glabrous or indistinctly scabrid, with multicellular articulate hairs, abaxially white velutinous, rachis nearly wingless; middle and upper stem leaves gradually smaller upward on stem, sessile, usually narrowly ovate-elliptic, undivided but sharply toothed, or with one or two pair of basal lobes, base semiamplexicaul. Uppermost stem leaves sessile, usually narrowly ovate-elliptic, undivided, base sessile and nearly semiamplexicaul, margin sharply toothed. Capitula solitary, terminal on stem. Involucre campanulate, 1.5–2.5 cm in diameter. Phyllaries in ca. 5 rows, densely villous, apex acuminate to acute, coriaceous, patent; outer phyllaries triangular-ovate, 9–12 × 1.5–2 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly elliptic, 12–15 × ca. 2 mm; inner phyllaries linear, 20–22 × 2.5–2.8 mm. Receptacle bristles dense, dirty white, 4–5 mm long. Anther dark purple, ca. 8 mm long, tails ca. 1 mm long. Corolla purple, 18–19 mm long, tube 1.1–1.2 × ca. 0.5 mm, limb 7.5–9 mm long, lobes 5–6 × 0.2–0.3 mm. Achene brown, cylindric, ca. 4 × 1 mm, glabrous. Pappus pale brown; outer bristles 4–5 mm long, scabrid; inner bristles ca. 1.4 cm long, plumose.

Distribution and habitat: — Saussurea langpoensis only occurs in Langpo, Cona County, Xizang, China, very close to the McMahon Line. It grows on sandy or stony mountain slope along the stream bank or mixed Abies and bamboo forests in valley at altitudes of 3580–3650 m.

Phenology:—Flowering and fruiting from August to September.

Etymology: —The specific epithet is derived from its type locality, Langpo, a village in Cona County, Xizang.

Discussion:— Saussurea langpoensis belongs to S. subgen. Saussurea sect. Strictae because of its pinnately lobed leaves and solitary capitula. Saussurea langpoensis is similar to S. semilyrata Bureau & Franchet (1891: 76) in its habit and leaf shape but differs in its stems usually numerous, leaf lobes 2–4 pairs, triangular, margin sharply toothed, terminal lobes distinctly larger than lateral ones, rachis nearly wingless, capitula always solitary, phyllary apex acuminate to acute, coriaceous and patent, whereas S. semilyrata is different in its stem usually single, leaf lobes 6–10 pairs, ovate-triangular, margin entire, terminal lobes similar to lateral ones, rachis distinctly winged, capitula 1–5, phyllary apex obtuse, usually apically herbaceous and reflexed. Saussurea langpoensis occurs in Cona, southern Xizang, whereas S. semilyrata occurs in western Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan. A comparison of S. langpoensis and S. semilyrata is given in Table 2.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Saussurea langpoensis. A. Habit. B. Floret. C. Floret, with pappus removed. D. Outer pappus. E. Inner pappus. F. Anther. G. Phyllaries (from left to right, outer to inner series). H. Leaf section. I. Style branches. All from FLPH Tibet Exped.13-910 (PE).

FIGURE 7. Saussurea austrotibetica (A, B) and S. langpoensis (C, D) in the wild and living plants.