Ailaoshan loosestrife (Lysimachia ailaoshanensis), a new member of subgenus Palladia, section Chenopodiopsis

NEWS - A new species of Ailaoshan loosestrife (Lysimachia ailaoshanensis) related to subgen. Palladia sect. Chenopodiopsis and most similar to L. chenopodioides and L. remotiflora, but distinguished by narrower lanceolate leaf blades, longer petioles, narrower stamens and longer pistils.

L. ailaoshanensis was collected by Hai-Fei Yan of the South China Botanical Garden and colleagues at Mount Ailao, Yunnan, in August 2020. Subsequent field visits were conducted to confirm its presence and examination to describe and compare with all other Lysimachia species.

Based on the classification of Lysimachia by Handel-Mazzetti (1928), the new species is characterized by alternate leaves, racemes with sparse or solitary flowers in the upper leaf axils, free filaments, attached in the middle of the corolla, and pedicels usually shorter than the corolla.

About 8 species are known in southwest China and adjacent areas including Bhutan, India, Kashmir, northern Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and some outliers in Thailand, the Mediterranean coast and southeast Africa. The new species is only known from the type site in Yunnan Province, Jingdong Yi Autonomous County and grows on the edge of mixed-evergreen secondary forest.

Investigations over the past three years, only one population with five individuals was found in an area of 10 km2 in Jingdong Yi Autonomous County. In addition, the local habitat is threatened by road construction and tourism development. The researchers propose the status of Critically Endangered (CR) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria guidelines (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2024).

Original research

Yan H-F, Hao G (2024). Lysimachia ailaoshanensis (Primulaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. PhytoKeys 246: 277-282, DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.246.130838

Dlium theDlium

Japanese morning glory (Ipomoea nil)

Japanese morning glory ( Ipomoea nil ) is a species of plant in the Convolvulaceae family, a climber with twining stems that grow up to 5 meters long. The green, finely hairy leaves are 14 cm long, heart-shaped at the base, entire or 3-5-lobed, tapering at the edges. The flowers are funnel-shaped, blue to reddish-purple with a whitish tube, 5 cm wide and up to 7 cm long. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Solanales Family: Convolvulaceae Subfamily: Convolvuloideae Tribe: Ipomoeeae Genus: Ipomoea L. in Sp. Pl.: 159 (1753) Species: Ipomoea nil (L.) Roth in Catal. Bot. 1: 36 (1797) HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS Convolvuloides triloba Moench in Methodus: 452 (1794) Convolvulus nil L. in Sp. Pl., ed. 2.: 219 (1762) Pharbitis nil (L.) Choisy in Mém. Soc. Phys. Genève 6: 439 (1833 publ. 1834) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Convolvulus caeruleus (Roxb. ex Ker-Gawl.) Spreng. in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 1: 593 (1824) Convolvulus coelestis G.Forst. in Fl. Ins...

Bugang (Clerodendrum calamitosum)

Bugang ( Clerodendrum calamitosum ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect shrub, growing up to 1 meter tall, with cylindrical, green stems and white hairs. The leaves are opposite. The leaf blade is oval, wavy, with a central main vein with numerous pinnate minor veins, and serrated margins. The leaves are up to 9 cm long and 7 cm wide. The petiole is up to 2 cm long. The flowers are star-shaped, white, up to 3 cm in diameter and up to 6 cm in total length. The fruit is round, dark green, turning black when ripe. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Ajugoideae Genus: Clerodendrum L. in Sp. Pl.: 637 (1753) Species: Clerodendrum calamitosum L. in Mant. Pl. 1: 90 (1767) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Clerodendrum fastigiatum (W.Hunter ex Ridl.) H.J.Lam in Verben. Malay. Archip.: 317 (1919) Volkameria alternifolia Burm.f. in Fl. Indica: 137 (1768) Volkameria fastigiata W.Hunter...

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Durian ( Durio zibethinus ) is a species of tropical plant in Malvaceae, an annual tree, everlasting green but there are certain times to grow new leaves after the fruiting period is over, popularly called "king of fruit" and considered a controversial fruit where many people like, but some others are even fed up with the scent. D. zibethinus grows to 25-50 m, reddish brown bark and irregular peeling, leafy and stretched canopy. The leaves are oval shaped to lanceolate, 10-15x3-4.5 cm, sitting alternately, stemmed, taper or blunt base and taper-pointed sloping, bright green upper side, the lower side covered with silver or golden scales. Flowers and fruit Flowers appear directly on the trunk or old branches at the proximal, clustered in panicles containing 3-10 florets or flat-shaped florets. Rounded flower buds, 2 cm in diameter and long stem. Tubular petals, 3 cm long, additional petals split into 2-3 round lobes. Crown shaped spatula with a length of 2 times the ...

Dlium