Impatiens yingjingensis X. Q. Song, B. N. Song & Biao Yang, 2024

Song, Xinqiang, Song, Boni, Fu, Mingxia, Wang, Jiacai, Liu, Jingyi, Qin, Weirui, Jiang, Yuzhou, Fan, Leni & Yang, Biao, 2024, Impatiens yingjingensis (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China, PhytoKeys 242, pp. 293-306 : 293-306

Impatiens yingjingensis X. Q. Song, B. N. Song & Biao Yang sp. nov.

Diagnosis.

Impatiens yingjingensis can be distinguished by the following morphological features from related species of Impatiens : purple-red or light purple-red flowers; inflorescence with 3–9 flowers; lower petal gradually narrowing at the base into a sickle-shaped spur approximately 2 cm long; lateral united petals 2 - lobed, auricle linear approximately 2 cm, elongate and inserted into spur.

Type.

China. Sichuan: Yingjing County, at the forest edge and in valleys , 29 ° 33.98 ' N, 102 ° 45.00 ' E, 1624 m alt., 26 August 2021, P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202108001 (holotype: SZ; isotypes: SZ) . (Fig. 5 ).

Etymology.

The species is named after Yingjing County, Sichuan Province, China, which is the type locality. The Chinese name is given as “ 荥经凤仙花 ”.

Description.

Herbs annual, 30–130 cm tall, glabrous, stems fleshy, erect or ascendant, branched, basal nodes swollen adventitious roots. Leaves alternate, petiolate or subsessile on upper stem; leaf blades ovate-oblong, 5–22 × 3.5–7 cm, membranaceous, abaxially puberulent, with 2 stipitate glands at base, base cuneate, margin crenate, apex acuminate; lateral veins 7–12 pairs, petioles 0.5–4 cm long. Inflorescences axillary, slightly shorter than the leaf length or approximately equal to the leaf blade in length, unilateral cyme, 3–9 flowers; pedicels 12–29 mm long, with bracts above base; flowers relatively large, purple-red or light purple-red, 2–3.5 cm long; lateral sepals ovate, ca. 3 × 2 mm, entire, apex acuminate, mucronulate; dorsal petal orbicular, approximately 15 mm in diameter, with a concave apex and obtuse tip, the mid-vein on the back thickening with narrow wings, wings 2 - angled; lower petal sickle-shaped, 2.5 cm long and the mouth is flat, gradually narrowing at the base into a sickle-shaped spur, approximately 2 cm long; lateral united petals 2 - lobed, the lower lobe approximately 0.5 cm long, the upper lobe oblong and approximately 1 cm long, auricle linear and approximately 2 cm, elongate, inserted into spur. Capsule clavate, 2–5 cm long, hairless. Seed ellipsoid, dark brown to black (Figs 1 , 6 ).

Phenology.

The flowering period is from July to October and the fruiting period is from August to November.

Distribution and habitat.

I. yingjingensis is distributed in Yingjing County, Sichuan Province, China, at altitudes of 1400–2100 m.

Additional specimens examined

(paratypes). China. Sichuan: Yingjing County, at the forest edge and in valleys , 29 ° 36.76 ' N, 102 ° 44.23 ' E, 1534 m alt., 24 August 2022, P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202208001 , P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202208002 , P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202208003 , P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202208004 , P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202208005 , P. Liang & L. J. Zhang 202208006 ( SZ) .

Figures

Figure 1. Habitat and morphology of I. yingjingensis A habitat B plants C leaf D flower branch E the floral anatomy of I. yingjingensis F, G flower, lateral view H flower, front view I, J capsule K seed.

Figure 5. Holotype of Impatiens yingjingensis X. Q. Song, B. N. Song & Biao Yang, sp. nov.

Figure 6. Impatiens yingjingensis A plants B the floral anatomy of Impatiens yingjingensis C capsule D seed E flower, lateral view F flower, front view.