Skip to main content

Leye willow (Carrierea leyensis) found in limestone area of Guangxi, China, resembles Carrierea dunniana

Leye willow (Carrierea leyensis.) found in limestone area of Guangxi, China, resembles Carrierea dunniana

NEWS - Leye willow (Carrierea leyensis Z.C.Lu & W.B.Xu, sp. nov.) of the Salicaceae found in the limestone area of Guangxi, China, resembles C. dunniana H.Lév, but is evergreen, with shorter petioles and serrated or glabrous when old. The leaf blade is elliptical with a wedge-shaped base; the inflorescence is shorter and the capsule is smaller.

Carrierea Franchet (1896) is a small genus in the Salicaceae distributed from southern China to northern Vietnam. Four species have been published in Carrierea previously, but C. rehderiana Sleumer as a synonym of C. calycina Franch. (1896) and C. vieillardii Gagnep. as a synonym of Itoa orientalis Hemsl.

Zhao-Cen Lu and Wei-Bin Xu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Guilin conducted an investigation from July 2023 to May 2024 and discovered the unusual plant. After careful examination of the morphological characters of the specimen, they confirmed that the specimen is a species new to science.

C. leyensis is a tree or small tree, monoecious, evergreen, 5–12 m tall; bark gray-brown; branchlets grayish, with white lenticels and leaf marks, tomentose, glabrous when old; winter buds conical, scales hairy; stipules absent.

Petiole 3–8 mm long, tomentose to glabrous when old; leaf blade greenish abaxially, deep green adaxially, glabrous, elliptic, (2.8–)4–9.5(–12.5) × 1.7–4.6 cm, leathery or thinly leathery, both surfaces glabrous or abaxially sparsely appressed-villous along midveins.

Weakly 3-veined at base, lateral veins 5–8 pairs, veins distinct on both sides, midvein raised below, base cuneate, margin remotely serrate, with spheroidal to torus-shaped glands at the tips of the teeth (salicoid teeth), apex acuminate to long acuminate.

Terminal or axillary inflorescence, 2–11-flowered, rarely single flower axillary, 1.8–4.5 cm long including flowers, tomentose, pistillate flowers in terminal part of inflorescence, staminate ones in lower part; bracts ovate-lanceolate, 1–1.35 cm long, papery, both surfaces sparsely to densely tomentose.

Pedicels 0.5–2.5 cm long, 2-bracteolate near middle; bracteoles similar to bracts, opposite, narrowly oblong, 3–7 mm long, papery, both surfaces sparsely to densely tomentose. Sepals (2 or 3 rare) 4–5, valvate, ovate-deltoid to oblong, 3.5–8 × 2–3 mm, papery, both sides tomentose, apex acute.

Petals absent. Staminate flowers: smaller than pistillate flowers, stamens with filaments unequal in length, 2–3 mm long, glabrous; anthers ca. 0.5mm long.

Pistillate flowers: staminodes like stamens but much reduced; ovary superior, elliptic, densely tomentose, 0.6–1 cm long; placentas 3 or 4; styles 3 or 4, 0.5–1 mm long, connate at least at base to form a column, sparsely tomentose like the ovary; stigmas reflexed, drying black, flattened, triangular, 2–3 mm long, irregularly lobed, glabrous.

Capsule fusiform, slightly curved, 1.7–2.7 cm long, 5–9 mm in diam., tomentose, valves splitting from both apex and base; fruiting pedicel stout, 1–2.8 cm long; seeds compressed, including wing 9–12 mm long; sterile seeds smaller.

C. leyensis differs from C. dunniana in being evergreen; petioles shorter, only 3–8 mm long, and tomentose or glabrous when old; leaf blades elliptical with a wedge-shaped base; inflorescence shorter; flowers smaller; and capsules smaller.

The specific epithet ‘leyensis’ refers to the locality where the new species was collected. Flowers April to May (spring) and fruits July to October (summer to autumn). The specimen was collected from Leye County, Baise City, Guangxi, China. It grows sporadically in forests on limestone slopes at elevations of 1100–1350 m.

Related species include Handeliodendron bodinieri (H.Lév.) Rehder, Pistacia chinensis Bunge, Pittosporum tonkinense Gagnep., Machilus cavaleriei H.Lév., Triadica rotundifolia (Hemsl.) Esser, Jasminum lanceolaria Roxb., Eriobotrya seguinii (H.Lév.) Cardot ex Guillaumin, Carex brunnea Thunb., Ophiorrhiza and Carpinus.

Original research

Lu Z-C, Liu Z-R, Mo M-L, Chang S-L, Xu W-B (2024). Carrierea leyensis, a new species of Salicaceae from limestone areas of Guangxi, China. PhytoKeys 248: 305-313, DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.248.129824

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Kunu buti (Mesosphaerum suaveolens)

Kunu buti ( Mesosphaerum suaveolens ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect, herbaceous annual, growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Its cylindrical, rough, brown or green stem is hairy and white. It grows on forest floors, bushes, agricultural fields, and roadsides. Its roots are fibrous and brownish-yellow. M. suaveolens has single, opposite leaves, stalks 2-5 cm long and hairy. The leaf blades are green, hairy, oval, with pointed tips, blunt bases, serrated edges, up to 6 cm long, up to 5 cm wide, and pinnate veins. The flowers are compound, axillary, in clusters, perfect, and bisexual. The petals are attached, forming a tube, each tip elongated like a spine, soft, 3-10 mm long, and green. The corolla is attached, asymmetrically detached, 1-2 cm long, and purple. The fruit is single, hard, capsule-shaped, hairy on the surface, and green or brown in color. The seeds are round, small and blackish brown in color. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphyl...
Read more

Chameleon forest dragon (Gonocephalus chamaeleontinus)

Bunglon hutan or chameleon anglehead lizard or chameleon forest dragon ( Gonocephalus chamaeleontinus ) is an animal species in Agamidae, having a larger size than other species, the most unique head shape and has the ability to change color by changing mood rather than for camouflage. Morphology G. chamaeleontinus has a total length of 40 cm, the muzzle to the buttocks is 16 cm, the base color is green with orange, yellow to brownish spots and sexual dimorphism. The eyes are protected by a movable eyelid surrounded by a slightly darker color, while males have a bright blue color around the eyes. Short head with a triangle and thorns above the eyes. Medium-sized head scales, vary, smooth and have a little tubercle that extends above the ear. Heterodont teeth with acrodont type and dorsal tongue are covered by reticular papillae. The upper labial scale consists of 10-12 units and the lower labial scale consists of 11-14 units. Dorsal body scales are composed of small and fine ...
Read more

Fern tree (Filicium decipiens)

Kerai payung or fern tree ( Filicium decipiens ) is a plant species in Sapindaceae, a tree that is always green with thick and round canopies such as umbrellas, 5-10 m high but old specimens in nature can exceed 25 m, upright stems, gray bark ash to reddish brown, smooth when young but rough and cracked when mature. F. decipiens has large, fern-like and conspicuous leaves, up to 40 cm long and made of elongated longitudinal, glossy green leaflets arranged in pairs. Leaves on stems with a length of 3-10 cm, alternating, imparipinnat, 15-30 cm long and 12-15 cm wide. Winged rachis with 6-12 pairs of opposite or sub-opposite leaflets, sessile, oblong-lanceolate with full margins and slightly wavy, 6-12 cm long and 1-3 cm wide, coriaceous, dark green and glossy above. Flowers grow on stems with a length of 7 cm as panicles for lengths of 15-30 cm which carry many small, unisexual flowers and hermaphrodites with a diameter of 0.4-0.6 cm. Pentaparted petals with imbricate ovate lobes, fi...
Read more