Stellaria amplexicaulis ( Handel-Mazzetti 1929: 190 ) Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang

Yang, Feng, Liu, Xiao-Lan, Li, Yu-Ran, Tian, Ye & Wang, Huan-Chong, 2020, Stellaria procumbens sp. nov. and S. amplexicaulis comb. & stat. nov. (Caryophyllaceae) from Southwest China, Phytotaxa 435 (2), pp. 192-202 : 197-200

Stellaria amplexicaulis ( Handel-Mazzetti 1929: 190) Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang , comb. & stat. nov. ( Fig. 4 )

Basionym: Stellaria saxatilis Buchanan-Hamilton ex D. Don (1825: 215) var. amplexicaulis Handel-Mazzetti (1929: 190) . = Stellaria vestita Kurz (1873: 194) var. amplexicaulis (Handel-Mazzetti) C. Y. Wu (1984: 263) .

Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Yanyuan County, Yalong River , elev. 3000–3200 m, 30 September 1914, Handel-Mazzetti 5397 (lectotype WU! [WU0061847], designated here!; isolecotypes K! [K000723691], WU! [WU0061846]) .

Remaining syntype:— CHINA. Yunnan: Deqing County, Cizhong village, Tseku, elev. 3200 m, 29 August 1916, Handel-Mazzetti 5397 (WU [WU0061848])

Description

Herbs perennial, ca. 50–150 cm tall. Rhizomes creeping, branched, thick and long. Roots slender, fibrous. Stems ascending, cylindrical, simple or rarely branched, with densely stellate hairs, sometimes mixed with pilose; nodes usually swollen; upper internode 4–12 cm long, lower internode 1–4 cm long. Leaves sessile, opposite, margin entire, both sides densely with stellate hairs; blades gladiate or narrowly lanceolate, 3–11 cm long, 0.5–2 cm wide, base clasping, apex acuminate. Dichotomous cymes axillary or terminal, 10–20 cm in diameter, usually with 30–160 flowers. Bracts ovate-lanceolate, membranous, transparent, 2–4 mm long. Flowers numerous; pedicel 0.5–4 cm long when flowering, 3–6 cm long when fruiting, with stellate hairs. Sepals 5, lanceolate, 3–6 mm long, midvein conspicuous, 3 - veined, margin membranous, apex acute. Petals 5, white, 2-cleft nearly to base, subequaling to sepal. Stamens 10, shorter than petals. Styles 3. Capsule oblong-ovate, 4–7 mm long, 6-valved, obviously exceeding persistent calyx. Seeds brown, round-reniform, ca. 1 × 0.9 mm.

Phenology: Stellaria amplexicaulis flowers from May to August, fruits from June to September.

Distribution: Stellaria amplexicaulis is mainly distributed in Northwest Yunnan and Southwest Sichuan, Southwest China, at elevations of 1900–3400 m.

Additional specimens examined: CHINA. Sichuan: Huidong County, Yuejing village , elev. 2300m, 11 August 1978, Huidong Team 0521 ( SM) ; Yuexi County, Shenguozhuang village, Shijiao, elev. 2500m, 20 September 1960, Expedition Team of Sichuan Medicinal Resources 26115 ( NAS) . Yunnan: Yunlong County, Jiancao Town, Shijing village , Laoxiangchang , in shrubs, elev. 2950–3400m, 27 December 2006, H. Peng et al 5283 ( KUN) ; Lanping County, Xingshengqiao National Forest Park, elev. 2600 m, 28 September 2018, H. C. Wang et al. LP 4334 ( YUKU) ; Fugong County, on the way from Dayou to Mashiding , 31 July 1979, Nujiang Team 791877 ( KUN) ; Weixi County, Sike village , under coniferous forests, elev. 2662 m, 29 June 2019, H. C. Wang et al. WX 7091 ( YUKU) ; Jianchuan County, Laojun Mountains , under coniferous forests, elev. 2945 m, 30 September 2018, H. C. Wang et al. JC 4503 ( YUKU) ; some locality, H. C. Wang et al. JC4494 (YUKU); Dali City , precise locality unknow, June 1948, H. C. Wang 864 ( KUN) ; Dali City , north slope, elev. 2800 m, May 1935, C. W. Wang 63155 ( KUN) ; Dali City, Fengyang village, Jiulu Mountain , in the east side of Cangshan Mountain , 19 June 1940, R.C. Qin 22972 ( KUN, PE) .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Stellaria amplexicaulis (Hand.-Mazz.) Huan C. Wang & Feng Yang. A. Habit. B. Flower (apical view). C. Fruit. D. Seed. E. Part of leaf (showing indumentum). F. Hair. (Drawn from specimen H. C. Wang et al. JC 4503 (YUKU)).