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| Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, in Luo, Rong, Zhao, Huang, Chen, Liu, Zhang, Jiang, Yang, Huang et Deng, 2023. |
Abstract
Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, a new species from Qiaojia, northeast Yunnan, southwest China, is described and illustrated herein based on its morphological characteristics and molecular evidence. This species is similar to C. christenseniana, and C. sinoerecta but can be distinguished easily by its stem, indumentum, leaf, and floral features, especially the corolla shape and size, the corolla tube and lobe characters. Phylogenetic analysis based on ITS, trnL-trnF, trnS-trnG, psbA-trnH and rps16 sequences shows that this new species belongs to C. sect. Chionopegia H.Huber with strong support, which was mutually verified by morphology analyses. A table including the morphological characters of related species and a dichotomous key to all 25 species of Ceropegia in China are provided.
Keywords: Ceropegia, molecular evidence, morphology, Southwest China
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| Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, sp. nov. (A) Inflorescences and leaves, (B) abaxial leaf surface, (C) adaxial leaf surface, (D) corolla tube dissected showing corolla interior and corona position, (E) corolla, (F) front view of gynostegium, (G) habit. Scale bars: 8 cm (G), 5 cm (B, C), 2 cm (A, D, E), 4 mm (F). Drawn by Yixia Huang based on sx001 (KUN). |
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| Morphological features of Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, sp. nov. (A) habit, (B) root, (C) plant, (D)-(G) adaxial and abaxial leaves surfaces, (H)-(I) adaxial and abaxial leaves surfaces enlarged showing the pubescence, (J) stem showing the pubescence, (K) corolla, (L) corolla tube dissected showing corolla interior and corona position, (M) ovary, (N) pollinarium, (O) pedicel calyx and corona, (P) front view of gynostegium, (Q) side view of gynostegium. Scale bars: 20 cm (C), 10 cm (B), 5 cm (D-G), 2 cm (H, I, K, L), 1 cm (O), 5 mm (J), 4 mm (P, Q), 1 mm (M, N). |
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| Photograph of the holotype of Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, sp. nov. (sx001, KUN1545580). |
Ceropegia sunhangiana P.R.Luo and T.Deng, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: As compared with the published species of Ceropegia from China, this species is morphologically similar to C. christenseniana and C. sinoerecta. However, it differs from C. christenseniana by its longer and sparsely pilose peduncles(5–10 mm versus 0–4 mm, glabrous), adaxially sparsely pubescent leaves (versus densely pubescent on both surfaces),corolla throat as wide as the inflated basal tube (versus about twice the width of the inflated basal tube), and from C. sinoerecta by its climbing stem and ovoid leaves (versus erect stem and narrow, cuneate leaf base and nearly lanceolate leaves).Table 1 provides detailed morphological comparisons with similar species.
Etymology: Ceropegia sunhangiana is named in honor of Prof. Hang Sun (1963– ), a Chinese botanist who has made a significant contribution to our knowledge of the flora of China.
Vernacular name: the Chinese name is given as “ 巧家吊灯花”(qiǎo jiādiào dēng huā), referring the distribution of C. sunhangiana.
Peng-Rui Luo, Shu-Tian Rong, Xin-Jie Zhao, Xian-Han Huang, Jun-Tong Chen, Qun Liu, Xin-Jian Zhang, Kang-Zheng Jiang, Wen-Guang Yang, Gui-Yun Huang and Tao Deng. 2023. Ceropegia sunhangiana, A New Species of Apocynaceae from Southwest China. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.1111/njb.03999
