Saussurea bhutanensis Y. S. Chen 2014, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Chen, You-Sheng
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Magnoliopsida
Asterales
Asteraceae
Saussurea
Saussurea bhutanensis

description: 5. <i>Saussurea bhutanensis</i> Y. S. Chen, <i>sp. nov.</i> (Fig. 5, 9A &amp; 9B) Type:— CHINA. Xizang: Yadong, Pagri, mountains between border of China and Bhutan, 27°37’ N, 89°07’ E, sandy meadows, 4870 m, 25 August 2013, <i>FLPH</i> <i>Tibet Exped.13-2131</i> (holotype PE; isotypes PE). Herbs 1–4 cm tall, perennial, stemless, caespitose. Caudex 2–3 cm in diam., usually much branched. Rosette leaves sessile, linear, 10–25 × 1–1.5 mm, abaxially greyish white and densely tomentose-sericeous, adaxially green, shiny, and glabrous, base enlarged, sheathing, and white villous, margin entire and revolute, apex acute. Uppermost leaves merging into phyllaries, supporting capitula. Capitula solitary, in center of leaf rosette or terminal on stem, sessile, concealed by villous hairs. Involucre campanulate, 1–1.6 cm in diam. Phyllaries in ca. 6 rows, apex acuminate to caudate; outer phyllaries narrowly ovate-triangular, 14–16 × 3–4 mm, basal part dark green, apical part greenish, sparsely villous, and reflexed; middle and inner phyllaries narrowly ovate-triangular to narrowly elliptic-linear, 11–13 × ca. 2 mm, basal part pale yellow, apical part blackish purple, villous, and reflexed. Receptacle bristles very few, 1–2 mm long. Corolla purplish, 1.3–1.5 cm long, tube 7–8 mm long, limb 6.5–8 mm long, lobes 3.5–4 mm long. Achene dark brown, conic, ca. 3 mm long, glabrous. Pappus in 2 rows; outer bristles white, 2–3 mm long, scabrid; inner bristles pale brown, 9–10 mm long, plumose. <b>Distribution and habitat:</b> — <i>Saussurea bhutanensis</i> occurs in northern Bhutan and adjacent border of Yadong, Xizang, China. It grows on alpine sandy meadows (including <i>Saussurea</i>, <i>Aster</i>, <i>Primula</i>, <i>Arenaria</i>, <i>Gentiana</i>, <i>Swertia</i>, <i>Cyananthus</i>, <i>Saxifraga</i> and <i>Delphinium</i> species), alpine scree or limestones at altitudes of 4500–4900 m. <b>Phenology</b>:—Flowering and fruiting from August to October. <b>Etymology:</b> —The specific epithet is derived from its main distribution area, Bhutan. <b>Additional specimens examined (paratypes):</b> — BHUTAN. [Bumthang district]: Tolegang, Tsampa, steep open hillside, 4720 m, 2 October 1949, <i>F</i> <i>. Ludlow, G. Sherriff &amp; J. H.</i> <i>Hicks 19784</i> (BM, E); [Wangdi district]: Wangdue-Phodrang, Thampe La, limestone, 27°43’ N, 90°18’ E, 4500–4600 m, 28 September 2000, <i>G. &amp; S</i> <i>.</i> <i>Miehe 00-421-01</i> (E). <b>Discussion</b>:— <i>Saussurea bhutanensis</i> belongs to <i>S.</i> subgen. <i>Saussurea</i> sect. <i>Lagurostemon</i> on account of its leaf blade being linear, entire, grasslike, and the capitula solitary, 1–1.6 cm in diameter. Grierson &amp; Springate (2001) reported one specimen from Bhutan (<i>F. Ludlow, G. Sherriff &amp; J. H. Hicks 19784</i>) that is related to <i>Saussurea columnaris</i> Handel-Mazzetti (1937: 652), but they noted this specimen is different from the typical <i>S. columnaris</i> in its receptacle naked, achene glandular-stipitate above and habit usually stemless. This kind of specimen was also found from the Tibetean border with Bhutan (<i>FLPH Tibet Exped.13-2131</i>) by the present author in 2013. But the present author found its receptacle is not entirely naked but with few short bristles 1–2 mm long, achenes glabrous, leaves 1–2.5 cm long, phyllaries usually narrower and apex acuminate, capitula concealed by dense villous hairs. Typical specimens of <i>S. columnaris</i> from Yunnan are different in the receptacle bristles ca. 7 mm long and plants usually stemmed, leaves 2–7 cm long, phyllaries usually broader and apex acute, capitula not concealed by villous hairs. <i>Saussurea bhutanensis</i> is also similar to <i>S</i>. <i>durgae</i> Jeffrey &amp; Srivastava (1997: 235) in its caespitose habit and linear grassy leaves, but <i>S. bhutanensis</i> differs in its leaves adaxially green, shiny, and glabrous, capitula concealed by villous hairs, and corolla purplish, whereas <i>S. durgae</i> differs in its leaves densely clothed with greyish white wooly hairs on both surfaces, capitula not concealed by villous hairs, and corolla pink. A comparison of <i>S. bhutanensis</i>, <i>S. columnaris</i> and <i>S</i>. <i>durgae</i> is given in Table 5.
description: Published as part of <i>Chen, You-Sheng, 2014, Six new species of Saussurea (Asteraceae) from eastern Himalaya, pp. 191-206 in Phytotaxa 177 (4)</i> on page 199, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.177.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5144741
description: {"references": ["Grierson, A. J. C. &amp; Springate, L. S. (2001) Compositae (Asteraceae). In: Grierson, AJ. C. &amp; Long, D. G. (Eds.) Flora of Bhutan, vol. 2 (3). Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh &amp; Royal Government of Bhutan, pp. 1397 - 1632.", "Handel-Mazzetti, H. (1937) Neue und bemerkenswerte chinesische Compositen, besonders aus dem Berliner Herbar. Notizblatt des Botanischen Gartens und Museums zu Berlin-Dahlem 13: 607 - 661. http: // dx. doi. org / 10.2307 / 3994954", "Jeffrey, C. &amp; Srivastava, R. C. (1997) A new species of Saussurea DC. (Asteraceae) from eastern Himalaya. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India, Section B: Biological Sciences 67 (3 - 4): 235 - 238."]}