Selaginella qingchengshanensis Li Bing Zhang & X. M. Zhou 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: He, Meng
name: He, Zhao-Rong
name: Zhang, Li-Bing
name: Zhou, Xin-Mao
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Lycopodiopsida
Selaginellales
Selaginellaceae
Selaginella
Selaginella qingchengshanensis

description: Selaginella qingchengshanensis Li Bing Zhang & X.M. Zhou, sp. nov.
Type:— CHINA. Sichuan: Dujiangyan City, Qingcheng Mountain, Qingchengshan Town, Wudongtian, elev. 960 m, 103.568461E, 30.907873N, 23 August 2020, in humid place in evergreen broadleaf forest, Z.- L Liang & X. Pu 085 (holotype PYU!).
Diagnosis:— Selaginella qingchengshanensis is similar to S. amblyphylla Alston (1934: 287) in having plants creeping to suberect and the apex of dorsal leaves long aristate, but the new species has axillary leaves ovate-triangular to broadly ovate (Fig. 1H; vs. ovatelanceolate or triangular-lanceolate in S. amblyphylla), sterile leaf margins denticulate to slightly ciliolate at base (Fig. 1G–I; vs. longciliate at base in S. amblyphylla), and arista of dorsal leaves nearly perpendicular to stems and branches in living plants (Fig. 1L; vs. parallel to stems and branches in S. amblyphylla).
Plants terrestrial, creeping to suberect, 6–20 cm (Fig. 1A, 3F). Rhizophores restricted to lower part of stem, born on ventral side in axils of main branches, glabrous, 0.5–4.5 cm long (Fig. 3F). Main stems with one flat vascular bundle, stramineous, branched from near base, 2 to 3 times pinnately branched, branches many, ultimate branches 3.3–5.0 mm wide (Fig. 3A–F). Leaves herbaceous. Ventral leaves on branches contiguous, slightly ascending, asymmetrical, those on main stems slightly larger than those on branches; oblong or oblong-ovate, 2.3–3.2 × 1.1–1.5 mm, apex obtuse to round; acroscopic base rounded, slightly enlarged, overlapping stem and branches, margin denticulate to slightly ciliolate; basiscopic base rounded, margin entire or minutely denticulate (Fig. 1G; 3C, E). Dorsal leaves asymmetrical, those on main stems more sparse than those on branches, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 1.8–2.9 × 0.8–0.95 mm, slightly carinate, base round obliquely attenuate, apex aristate (arista as long as the leaves), reflexed, but perpendicular to axis in living plants, margin denticulate to slightly ciliolate (Fig. 1I, 3D). Axillary leaves symmetrical, those on main stem not obviously larger than those on branches, ovate-triangular or broadly ovate, 1.5–2.2 × 1.0– 1.65 mm, base exauriculate, margin denticulate to shortly ciliolate, apex obtuse or slightly acute (Fig. 1H, 3C). Strobili solitary, terminal, compact, dorsiventrally complanate, resupinate, 3.7–5.6 × 1.4–2.7 mm (Fig. 1B, 3A–B); sporophylls dimorphic, not whitemargined; dorsal sporophylls ovate-lanceolate, with sporophyll-pteryx nearly complete and ciliolate, margin ciliolate, apex acute to acuminate (Fig. 1E); ventral sporophylls ovate, carinate, margin denticulate to ciliolate, apex aristate (Fig. 1F); megasporophylls distributed at the base of strobili, not intersect with microsporophylls. Megaspores white, oblate spheroid to subglobose; prominent laesurae extend 2/3 of the distance to the equator; proximal surfaces densely papillate or verrucate; distal surfaces papillate, vermiculate, or verrucate, surfaces densely covered with fine spines (Fig. 1M–O). Microspores yellowish orange, spherical tetrahedral; laesurae nearly extend to the equator; both proximal and laesurae surfaces with low fused tuberculate, densely covered with fine spines (Fig. 1J–K).
Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the type locality in Qingcheng Mountain, Sichuan Province, China. Chinese name: Ḧ城山卷柏 (qing cheng shan juan bai).
Distribution and habitat:— Known only from the type locality in Qingcheng Mountain, Dujiangyan City, Sichuan province, China, at 850–1050 m. This species grows in humid places in evergreen broadleaved forests. It is common on the roadside of tourist trails on Qingcheng Mountain.
Conservation status:— Selaginella qingchengshanensis is only known from Qingcheng Mountain, but it has relatively wide distribution there. We consider it to be Near Threatened (NT) based on the IUCN red list criterion (IUCN 2017).
Additional specimens examined (paratypes):— CHINA. Sichuan Province: Qingcheng Mountain, X. - F. Ga o et al. DJY04053, DJY06425 (CDBI); 23 August 2019, Z.- L. Liang & X. Pu 056, 078, 097 (PYU).
description: Published as part of He, Meng, He, Zhao-Rong, Zhang, Li-Bing & Zhou, Xin-Mao, 2021, Selaginella qingchengshanensis (sect. Heterostachys; Selaginellaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China, pp. 285-293 in Phytotaxa 522 (4) on pages 286-287, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.522.4.2, http://zenodo.org/record/5565838