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| Vaccinium usneoides Y.H.Tong, Y.J.Guo & Ting Zhang, in Guo, Zhang, Ya, Zhang, Shen, Han, Ni, Su et Tong, 2023. |
Abstract
Vaccinium usneoides (Ericaceae), a new species from Fugong County of Yunnan Province, China is described and illustrated. This new species belongs to Vaccinium sect. Calcicolus and is most similar to V. brachyandrum, but differs in its branches hanging down, much smaller leaf blades, shorter inflorescences and pedicels, non-glandular tomentellate or densely pubescent inflorescence rachis and pedicels, densely white-pubescent hypanthium and pilose filaments.
Key words: Gaoligong Mountain, morphology, Vaccinieae, Vaccinium arbutoides
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| Vaccinium usneoides sp. nov. A flowering branchlet B trichomes on abaxial surface of leaf blades C fruiting branchlet D flower E flower with corolla and calyx limb removed, showing androecium and gynoecium F stamens, adaxial (left), abaxial (middle) and lateral (right) view G seeds. Illustrated by Ding-Han Cui. |
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| Vaccinium usneoides sp. nov. A habitat, the red ovals indicating this species B habit C leafy branches, the arrow showing the indumentum on young branchlets and leaf blades D flowering branchlets with young inflorescences E flowering branchlet F fruiting branchlet. A, B taken by Yi-Hua Tong C, F taken by Yong-jie Guo D taken by Ji-Dong Ya E taken by Ting Zhang. |
Vaccinium usneoides Y.H.Tong, Y.J.Guo & Ting Zhang, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: This new species is close to V. brachyandrum in the short and hairy inflorescences (less than 3.5 cm) with many flowers and the abaxially glandular leaf blades with one basal gland per side and a caudate-acuminate apex, but can be immediately distinguished by its hanging-down (vs. scrambling) branches, much smaller leaf blades (2.5–5.5 × 0.9–1.8 cm vs. 8.5–11 × 4–6 cm) with fewer pairs of secondary veins (3–4 vs. 6–7), shorter inflorescence (1–1.5 cm vs. 1.5–3.5 cm), non-glandular tomentellate or densely pubescent (vs. glandular pubescent) inflorescence rachis and pedicel, shorter pedicel (0.7–1 mm vs. ca. 2 mm), densely white-pubescent (vs. glabrous) hypanthium and pilose (vs. glabrous) filament. A detailed morphological comparison between the two species is presented in Table 1.
Etymology: The species epithet is derived from the genus of beard lichen “Usnea” and the suffix “-oides”, which means the habit of this new species looks very much like beard lichen on trees from a distance. Chinese name is given as 松萝越橘 (Pinyin: sōng luó yuè jú).
Yong-Jie Guo, Ting Zhang, Ji-Dong Ya, Wei Zhang, Xiu-Ying Shen, Zhou-Dong Han, Jing-Bo Ni, Jian-Yong Su and Yi-Hua Tong. 2023. Vaccinium usneoides (Ericaceae), A New Species from Yunnan, China. PhytoKeys. 236: 187-195. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.236.112658
