Oreocharis hainanensis S. J. Ling & M. X. Ren 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ling, Shao-Jun
name: Wen, Fang
name: Ren, Ming-Xun
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Lamiales
Gesneriaceae
Oreocharis
Oreocharis hainanensis

description: Oreocharis hainanensis S.J.Ling & M.X.Ren, sp. nov. (Figs 1, 2)
Diagnosis:—The new species is easily distinguished from O. jasminina by campanulate (not narrowly tubular) floral tube, zygomorphic (not actinomorphic) corolla, exserted (not included) stamens (Fig. 1, 2, Table 1).
Type: — CHINA. Hainan Island: Dongfang City, Baobaimiao Village, north to the Changhua River, 18°55’N, 109°02’E, elev. ca. 280 m a.s.l., on karst rocks, 17 September 2020, S. J. Ling 2020091701 (holotype HUTB!; isotypes HUTB!, KUN!, IBK!).
Perennial herb, rhizomatous, acaulescent. Leaves basal, rosette; petiole 1.5–5 cm long, 2–3 mm in diameter, brown woolly; blade obovate, ovate to broadly ovate, rarely broadly ovate, 2.5–9 × 2–7 cm, adaxially gray pubescent, abaxially brown pubescent, densely brown villous along veins, apex subrounded, rarely rounded, margin shallowly crenateserrate, base often cuneate, rarely subrounded, lateral veins 5–7 pairs, distinct, conspicuously prominent adaxially and conspicuously elevated abaxially. Inflorescence cymose, axillary, cymes 2–7, 3–8 - flowered; peduncle 5–17 cm long, brown, sparsely pale gray villous. Bracts 2, linear to narrowly triangular, 2–3 × ca. 1 cm, abaxially pale gray villous, apex acuminate, margin entire; pedicel to 4 cm long, sparsely pale gray villous. Calyx green, 3–4 mm long, 5 - parted near to base, lobes narrowly lanceolate, 2.5–4 × ca. 1 mm, apex acuminate, margin entire, adaxially pale gray pubescent, abaxially glabrous. Corolla yellow, 1–1.5 cm long, adaxially pubescent; tube campanulate, 1–1.7 cm × 3–4.5 mm; limb 2 - lipped, adaxial lip shallowly 2 - lobed, lobes ca. 3.5 × 5 mm, abaxial lip 3-lobed almost to base, lobes equal, subsemiorbicular, 5.5–8 × 5–7 mm, apex acuminate. Stamens 4, didynamous, adnate to corolla 3–4 mm from base, exserted; filaments of adaxial pairs ca. 0.8 cm long, abaxial pairs ca. 1.4 cm long; anthers ovate, bithecous, dehiscing longitudinally, adaxial thecae 1–1.5 × 0.7–1.1 mm, downward, abaxial thecae 1.8–2.8 × 1–1.5 mm, upward; staminode 1, adnate to corolla 2–3 mm above base, ca. 2 mm long. Disc ca. 1 mm high, entire. Pistil ca. 1.6 cm long, glabrous; ovary narrowly oblong, ca. 8 mm long, glandular-puberulent; style cylindrical and glandular-puberulent, ca. 0.5 cm long; stigma 2, equal, suborbicular. Capsule linear, 2.5–4 cm long, glabrous to sparsely puberulent.
Distribution and habitat: — Oreocharis hainanensis is currently only known on low-altitudual karst cliffs and rocks at the edge of evergreen broad-leaved forests near Changhua River, in the southwestern Hainan Island, South China.
Phenology: —Flowering from August to October and fruiting from September to November.
Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to the type location, Hainan Island, South China.
Vernacular name:—海ØḼẅffă (Chinese, Hãi Nán Mǎ Líng Jù Tái).
Conservation status: —So far, Oreocharis hainanensis is only known from two locations (less than 5 locations) with about 3,000 –4,000 individuals. The populations are under threat due to the limited and fragmented karst habitats, with a very restricted area of occupancy (typically less than 20 km 2). Therefore, we propose that O. hainanensis should be considered as Vulnerable (VU C1 and D2) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2019).
description: Published as part of Ling, Shao-Jun, Wen, Fang & Ren, Ming-Xun, 2022, Oreocharis hainanensis (Gesneriaceae), a new species from karst regions in Hainan Island, South China, pp. 281-291 in Phytotaxa 538 (4) on page 288, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.538.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/6340385