Saxifraga kegangii D. G. Zhang, Y. Meng & M. H. Zhang, 2017

Zhang, Meng-Hua, Zhang, Xiao-Shuang, Nie, Ze-Long, Zhang, Dai-Gui & Meng, Ying, 2017, Saxifraga kegangii (Saxifragaceae), a new species from Hunan province of central China, Phytotaxa 309 (2), pp. 159-165 : 161-162

Saxifraga kegangii D. G. Zhang, Y. Meng & M. H. Zhang , sp. nov. (Figs 2, 3)

Type: — CHINA. NW Hunan, Baojing county, Lüdong Mountain, wet limestone under of gully, 28°27 ′ N, 109°39 ′ E, elev. 990 m, 20 April 2016, D. G. Zhang et al. BJ 4668 (holotype JIU!).

Description: —Perennial herbs, 8–45 cm tall. Stolons absent. Stem glabrous or with sparse glandular piliferous. All basal leaves arranged in a compact, basal rosette. Basal leaves with petiole to 10cm, glabrous or with short glandular piliferous; leaf fan-shaped to orbicular, 1–10 × 1–13 cm, base shallowly cordate or suborbicular, margin entire or 8–10- crenate, apex undulate, lobes margin with irregularly dentate 1–4. Leaf leathery and slightly succulent. Young leaves, both surfaces glandular hairy; Mature leaves, adaxially glabrous, dark green, waxy inlustre; abaxially gray-green, glabrous or sparsely hispid and yellow-green spotted. Veins of abaxially leaf, palmate extending to the leaf marginand slightly protruding. Cauline leaves lanceolate, ca.1–4 × 1–2 mm. Inflorescence paniculate, ca. 7–38cm, 7–56-flowered; branches 2.4–14 cm, sparsely glandular pubescent, 2 or 3-flowered, flowers zygomorphic; pedicels slender, 0.5–4 cm, glandular pubescent. Sepals spreading to reflexed, triangular lanceolate, 1.5–5 × 1–1.8 mm, abaxially and marginally glandular hairy, 3-veined; veins confluent at apex. Petals 5, white, of which largest two lanceolate-oblong, 3–7-veined, base clawed, apex acute, pinniveined, longer petal, ca. 2–2.5 cm × 2–4 mm; longest petal, ca. 0.7–2 cm × 2–4 mm; smallest three petals ovate, yellow spotted, 2–4 × 1.3–2 mm, 2–4-veined. Stamens 4–5.2 mm. Ovary ovoid, with a semiannular disc; styles divergent ca. 1–4 mm. Fl. and fr. Apr–May.

Distribution and ecology: —It is only found in northwestern Hunan province in Wuling Mountains region of central China. Within sect. Irregulares only two species have been found in Wuling Mountains region ( S. stolonifera Meerb. (1775: 67) and S. rufescens Balfour (1916: 74) ). S. stolonifera is widely distributed in China, and S. rufescens mainly occurs in southwest China with recent records in Hunan province at the Longshan county. The new species grows usually together with S. stolonifera .

Etymology: —The species epithet honors Prof. Ke-Gang Li, ex-Director of the College of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Jishou University, Hunan, who made great contributions in understanding the plant diversity from the Wuling Mountains.

Additional specimens examined: — CHINA. NW Hunan, Baojing county, Lüdong Mountain, elev. 990 m, 2 May 2013, D.G. Zhang et al.1288 (JIU!).