Skip to main content

Meishan City primrose (Primula meishanensis) from Sichuan similar to Primula dejuniana in sect. Petiolares

Meishan City primrose (Primula meishanensis) from Sichuan similar to Primula dejuniana in sect. Petiolares

NEWS - Meishan City primrose (Primula meishanensis K.Huang & Z.X.Fu, sp. nov.) from Meishan City, Sichuan Province, China, was described based on morphology, phylogenetics and complete chloroplast genome as a separate species closely related to Primula dejuniana.

Primula L. is one of the most diverse members of the Primulaceae, comprising 38 sections and more than 500 species worldwide in temperate and cool Asia, tropical North Asia and Europe. Several new species have been discovered in China, such as P. lihengiana, P. wawushanica, P. undulifolia, P. pengzhouensis, P. surculosa, P. dongchuanensis, P. dujiangyanensis, P. longipilosa, P. wolongensis, P. sugongii and P. xilingensis.

Primula sect. Petiolares Pax includes more than 60 species currently known and well represented in the Himalaya-Hengduan Mountains region and only a few members extend to Kashmir, central China and some other regions. One of the most important characters is the spherical capsule that does not open with valves, but with disintegration at the apex of the membrane.

The new species specimens were collected during the botanical expedition of Zhongyan temple in Meishan City, Sichuan Province in 2022-2024, which is a taxon that has never been described. This study also analyzed the molecular data of the complete chloroplast genome to identify its relationship with P. dejuniana.

P. meishanensis and P. dejuniana form a highly supported clade. However, the branch lengths of the two species are different and the number of chloroplast genes is not the same. The complete chloroplast genome of P. meishanensis is 152,175 bp and that of P. dejuniana is 151,988 bp. The new species differs from the latter by its solitary scape, long leaf stalks, pointed leaf blade tips and pin flowers.

The new species is perennial herbs, 12.0-20.0 cm tall. Roots numerous, fibrous, without hairs. Leaves pilose, forming a spreading rosette, each rosette with only 2-4 leaves of previous year at flowering time; resting bud of rosette clothed by a few small paleaceous scales, basal bud scales ovate to ovate-oblong, ciliolate, rose red, apex acute.

Petiole 2.5-5 cm long, narrowly winged and densely covered with multicellular hairs; leaf blade oblanceolate, smooth, 19.5-25 × 2.5-5 cm, cuneate at base, abaxial surface densely along mid-vein, sparser on lateral veins covered with multicellular hairs; margin ciliate, sharply and remotely dentate; apex acute; mid-vein dull yellow in fresh state, turning brownish when dry; veins impressed adaxially, prominently raised and subalveolate abaxially.

Scape solitary, 7.2-11.8 cm long, pilose, carrying a terminal umbel of (1) 2-3 (4) flowers, dull yellow in fresh state, turning brownish when dry at base. Bracts lanceolate, 4-5.5 mm long, minutely ciliate. Pedicel 0.4-1.4 cm long, shorter than leaf blade, pilose. Flowers distylous.

Calyx campanulate, 8-9 mm long, parted to 1/2 of its length or slightly below; lobes linear lanceolate to lanceolate, apex acute. Corolla pastel violet, annulate, 5–6 lobes spreading, lobes broadly elliptic, 8.0–10.0 mm long, emarginate, densely yellow farinose abaxially, smooth adaxially.

Pin flower: corolla tubes 9.0-10.0 mm long, stamens inserted at middle of corolla tube, 9.5-10.5 mm long, style slightly exceeding the corolla tube mouth. Thrum flower: corolla tubes 11.0-12.0 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diam., 2 times as long as the calyx, style 4.0-7.0 mm above base of corolla tube, stamens reaching the corolla tube mouth, 7.0-12.0 mm above base of corolla tube.

Flowering period is December-February and fruiting period is March-May. The epithet “meishanensis” is derived from Meishan City in Sichuan Province, China. P. meishanensis is known from the type locality and may occur in other locations. It grows on damp rock surfaces among mosses under forest at elevations of 400-1000 m.

P. meishanensis is a new member of Primula sect. Petiolares that morphologically shares some similarities with P. dejuniana. However, P. meishanensis has pointed leaf tips (vs. pointed leaf tips, but with a small point at the tip in P. dejuniana), pastel purple corollas (vs. pale pink corollas).

Leaf stalks solitary, 7.2-11.8 cm long, bearing terminal umbels containing (1) 2-3 (4) flowers (vs. petioles usually one per rosette, 8-12 (18) cm long, bearing terminal umbels containing 2-6 flowers), petioles 2.5-5 cm long (vs. 1-3 cm), basal bud scales pink (vs. flesh pink) and flowering period from December-February (vs. February-March).

P. meishanensis is also similar to P. davidii. However, leaf blade margins (sharp vs. serrated) and tips (acute vs. rounded). P. meishanensis is similar to P. epilosa, but with acute leaf tips (vs. rounded), pastel purple corolla (vs. rose purple with yellow eye) and elevation 400-420 m (vs. 2000-2900 m).

Original research

Li T, Chen X, Li B, Hua D, Luo C, Luo H, Liang Y, Yue J, Xi X, Huang K, Fu Z (2024). Primula meishanensis (Primulaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China. PhytoKeys 248: 73-90, DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.248.127117

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Pink jewel dragonfly (Heliocypha fenestrata)

Pink jewel dragonfly ( Heliocypha fenestrata ) is an animal species in Chlorocyphidae, a dragonfly 40-45mm long, slender, predominantly black with bright pink and blue, flies swiftly, large eyes, very long wings, lives near fresh flowing water and waterways. H. fenestrata has a black body with an upper back decorated with three plots of squares in pink and a similar plot on the nape of the top. The sides to the bottom are decorated with plots in light blue. A pair of large, round and black eyes. The tail is long and segmented, cylindrical, predominantly black with several plots of light blue color at the base of the sides, the tip ends with two small tails and curves inward. The legs are jointed and are all black. The wings have a span of up to 80 mm, contain many pulse lines, elliptical tips, are dark and transparent, when exposed to sunlight they give off pink or green or blue or white reflections. Pink jewel dragonfly lives near freshwater ecosystems that flow and low light inten...
Read more

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....
Read more

Glombang (Lentinus squarrosulus)

Glombang ( Lentinus squarrosulus ) is a species of fungi in Polyporaceae, umbrella-shaped, strong pole, round, chewy and fleshy stamp, white with gray spots forming rings, scaly, growing on wood in tropical regions, fast growth of mycelia used for food and nutraceuticals. L. squarrosulus has a 1.5-10 cm long cap, the surface is convex inward until compressed with a slightly bumpy, jagged margin, initially white to brown at maturity. The bottom surface of the cap has gills, crowded, narrow, white to yellow with rough edges. Stems 20-60x4-10 mm, running to the center, pointing downward, upright or crooked, hairy to scaly, partially creamy veils leaving a ring or light zone towards the top of the stem which may disappear in age or the veil may remain intact and cover the gills. Pileus is thin, tough, fibrous and white. Spores are cylindrical, smooth, nonamiloid, 6-9,52.5x-3.5 μm and white in color. It grows singly but is more common in groups on fallen tree trunks, especially coconut...
Read more