Friday, October 16, 2020

[Botany • 2020] Saussurea xinjiangensis (Asteraceae) • A New Species from Xinjiang, China


Saussurea xinjiangensis Y. S. Chen

in Chen & Xu, 2020. 

Abstract
Saussurea xinjiangensis Y. S. Chen, a new species from Xinjiang, China, is described and illustrated. It was first found during a field expedition by the author in 2014. It belongs to S. subgen. Saussurea sect. Laguranthera because its root and caudex split fibrously and it has numerous capitula in a corymbiform synflorescence. The new species is similar to S. mucronulata in its habit, strongly fibrous rootstock and caudex, sessile linear leaves and capitula shortly pedunculated in a corymbiform synflorescence. However, it differs from S. mucronulata by its usually branched stems (versus usually simple or apically few‐branched), lower leaf blade 8–12 cm long and 0.5–1.8 cm wide (versus 3–5 cm long and 0.2–0.5 cm wide), leaves abaxially sparsely arachnoid tomentose (versus densely arachnoid tomentose), phyllary white arachnoid tomentose and green to brown (versus glabrous and blackish purple).

Keywords: Compositae, new taxon, Saussurea sect. Laguranthera, taxonomy

 
Saussurea xinjiangensis sp. nov. 
photo by You‐Sheng Chen.
 

You‐Sheng Chen and Lian‐Sheng Xu. 2020. Saussurea xinjiangensis sp. nov. (Asteraceae, Cardueae), A New Species from Xinjiang, China. Nordic Journal of Botany. 38(9); DOI: 10.1111/njb.02711