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| Ajania flavida Long Wang, in Chi, Wu et Wang, 2024. Photographs by Long Wang. |
Abstract
Ajania flavida, a new species from western Sichuan and eastern Xizang, China, is described and illustrated. It is readily assigned to A. sect. Ajania owing to its straw-colored, glossy involucres and marginally whitish scarious phyllaries. Within the section, it is distinct in being a shrub of 1−2 m in height, and in having creamy yellow florets. It is superficially similar to A. ramosa in A. sect. Phaeoscyphus, but can easily be distinguished by, among other characters, the plant height, color of the florets and margins of the phyllaries. In addition, we provide a distribution map of the new species.
Key words: Compositae, taxonomy, Yangtze River
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| Holotype sheet of Ajania flavida sp. nov. |
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| Ajania flavida sp. nov. in the wild (China, Xizang, Jomda) A habitat B habit C basal leaves (adaxial surface) D synflorescence (top view) E synflorescence (side view) F phyllaries (abaxial surface) G marginal female florets H central disk florets. Photographs by Long Wang. |
Ajania flavida Long Wang, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Ajania flavida is distinct in A. sect. Ajania in being shrubs of 1−2 m in height and having creamy yellow florets. It is superficially similar to A. ramosa in A. sect. Phaeoscyphus, but can be easily distinguished by the plant habit (shrub vs. subshrub), plant height (1−2 m vs. 40−60 cm), leaf division (2-pinnatisect vs. 1(−2)-pinnatisect), size of the involucres (ca. 3 mm vs. 4−5 mm in diameter), color (creamy yellow vs. yellow) of the florets and margins (whitish scarious vs. brown scarious) of the phyllaries.
Etymology: The specific epithet ‘flavida’ refers to the creamy yellow florets of this new species.
Vernacular name: 川藏亚菊 (Chinese pinyin: chuān zàng yà jú).
Xiao-Rui Chi, Hai-Song Wu and Long Wang. 2024. Ajania flavida (Asteraceae, Anthemideae), A distinct New Species from southwestern China. PhytoKeys. 239: 205-213. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.239.119028
