Androsace mollis Hand.-Mazz.

Xu, Yuan, Yan, Hai-Fei & Hao, Gang, 2022, Further clarification on Androsace mollis Hand. - Mazz. (Primulaceae), with a description of a new species of Androsace, PhytoKeys 212, pp. 73-83 : 73

1. Androsace mollis Hand.-Mazz.

Fig. 1

Androsace mollis Hand.-Mazz. in Anzeiger der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, Sitzung der Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse 61: 136, 1924, p.p. quoad specim. Handel-Mazzetti 8896; Handel-Mazzetti in Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh 15: 291, 1927, p.p. quoad specim. F. K. Ward 6963, G. Forrest 7370, 14263, 14917, 19307, J. F. Rock 8733; C.M. Hu and Y.C. Yang in Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 24(3): 226, 1986, p.p. quoad specim. G. Forrest 14263, H. R. E. Handel-Mazzetti 8896, J. F. Rock 21964, T. T. Yu 3703; Y.C. Yang and R.F. Huang in Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae vol. 59(1): 183, 1989, p.p. excl. syn. Androsace sarmentosa var. yunnanensis R. Knuth, excl. specim. G. Forrest 1810; C.M. Hu and S. Kelso in Flora of China vol. 15: 99, 1996, p.p. excl. syn. Androsace sarmentosa var. yunnanensis R. Knuth, excl. speciminibus Sichuanensibus; R.Z. Fang in Flora Yunnanica vol. 15: 392, 2003, p.p. quoad specim. Deqinense , Fugongense , Gongshanense .

Type.

China. Yunnan Province: Deqin County, in regione temperate jugi Si-la inter fluvios Landsang-djiang (Mekong) et Lu-djiang (Salween), 28°N, 3600-4000 m a.s.l., 16 June 1916, H. R. E. Handel-Mazzetti 8896 (lectotype WU! barcode WU0059690; isolectotype E! barcode E00024874; K! barcode K000750338) .

Description.

A perennial herb, laxly cespitose. Shoots densely villous and green when young, becoming glabrescent and dark reddish-brown, internodes 0.3-1.5 cm, with old petiole or leaf rosettes on nodes. Leaf rosettes 4-11 mm in diam. Leaves sessile, obovate-ligulate, unicostate, 3-7 mm × 1-2 mm, ciliate, densely covered with white multicellular hairs along the midrib on abaxial surface, and glabrescent on abaxial surface, apex obtuse to subacute. Scapes solitary, 0.5-3.5 cm long, sparsely white villous, carrying a terminal umbel with 1-6 flowers; bracts linear to linear-spatulate, unicostate, 2-4 mm × 0.5-1.5 mm, ciliate, densely covered with white multicellular hairs on distal 1/2 of abaxial surface, and sparsely villous on adaxial surface, base saccate, apex rounded; pedicels 2-4 mm long and can extend to 1 cm in fruiting, sparsely villous, dark reddish-brown. Calyx campanulate, 2-3 mm long, sparsely pubescent, parted less than 1/2 of its length; lobes ovate to ovate-oblong, ciliate, apex obtuse and reddish. Corolla pink with a yellow eye, limb 5-7 mm across, lobes obovate, apex entire or emarginate. Stamens ca. 1 mm, near corolla tube apex. Style ca. 2 mm. Capsules globose, glabrous, tawny, ca. 3 mm in diam, splitting to the base in valves. Blooming from June to August and fruiting from August to October.

Conservation status.

Based on our field investigation and specimen examination, A. mollis is widely distributed in northwest Yunnan, southeast Xizang and north Myanmar. Thus, the conservation status of A. mollis is assessed as Least Concern (LC) according to the guidelines for using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria ( IUCN Standards and Petitions Subcommittee 2022).

Specimens examined.

China. Yunnan: G. Forrest 7370 (E, K), 14263 (K), 14917 (K), 19307 (K); Deqin County J.F. Rock 8733 (E, K, SYS barcode SYS00112510, US barcode 03124157), 23239 (K, KUN barcode 0211554, SYS barcode SYS00112511, US barcode 03124155), K.M. Feng 5151 (KUN barcode 0211526, 0211527), 6580 (KUN barcode 0211529), 6644 (KUN barcode 0211530, 0211531), T.T. Yu, 22293 (KUN barcode 0211521, 0211522); Gongshan Derung and Nu Autonomous County J.F. Rock 21964 (K, SYS barcode SYS00112512, US barcode 03124156), T.T. Yu 19769 (KUN barcode 0211520), 22357 (KUN barcode 0211523, 0211524), 22783 (KUN barcode 0211525); Weixi Lisu Autonomous County B. Xu Tsui-2038 (KUN). Xizang: Zayu County Y. Xu Xu130135 (IBSC), Y. Xu, S. Chen, J. Li Xu210933 (IBSC), Y. Xu, T.J. Liu & G.H. Huang 150223 (IBSC), J.F. Rock 22522 (K). Upper Myanmar. F. K. Ward 6963 (K).

Additional notes.

Although Handel-Mazzetti (1927) cited the specimens of A. sublanata (J.M. Delavay 69 and 1038) under his A. mollis , these two species are in fact quite different. The habit of A. mollis is laxly cespitose with obvious shoots while the leaf rosette of A. sublanata is solitary or 2-4 in small clumps without shoots. Moreover, A. sublanata is a somewhat larger species, with scapes 9-30 cm in length while the scapes of A. mollis are only 0.5-3.5 cm ( Xu et al. 2018).

Hu and Kelso (1996) recorded that A. mollis is also distributed in western Sichuan. Then, Fang (2003) further indicated that A. mollis is distributed in MuLi County of Sichuan Province. We checked the Muli specimen (Qinghai-Xizang Exped. 14477 KUN barcode 0211555) determined by Fang. It is A. minor (Hand.-Mazz.) C.M.Hu & Y.C.Yang instead of A. mollis . Based on our field investigation and herbarium specimen examination, the distribution areas of A. mollis only include northwestern Yunnan and southeastern Xizang of China and Northern Myanmar.

Figures

Figure 1. Lectotype sheet of Androsace mollis (H. R. E. Handel-Mazzetti 8896, WU barcode WU 0059690, https: // wu. jacq. org / WU 0059690).