[Botany • 2021] Lycoris wulingensis (Amaryllidaceae) • A Dwarf New Species from Hunan, China

Lycoris wulingensis S.Y. Zhang 

in Zhang, Huang, Zhang, ... et Shao, 2021. 

武陵石蒜 || DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.177.62741

Abstract

Lycoris wulingensis S.Y. Zhang, a new species from Hunan Province (central South China), is described and illustrated. This new species is a fertile diploid plant and its karyotype is 2n = 22. It is most similar to L. × haywardii in morphology, but the latter is a hybrid species and distributed in East China and the plant is much larger. Amongst the original species, L. wulingensis is similar to L. radiata, but differs from it in its flowers being rose-red (vs. red) and stamens and tepals are nearly the same length (vs. stamens significantly longer than tepals).

Keywords: Amaryllidaceae, China, Lycoris wulingensis, morphology, taxonomy

 Figure 2. Morphology of Lycoris wulingensis S. Y. Zhang, sp. nov.
 A plant B inflorescence C flower bud D flower E fruit F seed.

The picture was drawn by Ling Wang.

Figure 1. Morphology of Lycoris wulingensis S. Y. Zhang, sp. nov.
A inflorescence B, C habitat D flower E flower bud F leaf G fruit H seeds I bulb J karyotype (2n = 22) K pollen (stained by TTC).

Lycoris wulingensis S.Y. Zhang, sp. nov.

  

Diagnosis: Most similar to L. × haywardii, but differs from it by smaller plant and flower sizes (Figs 3, 4, Table 2) and it is restricted to north-western Hunan Province (Fig. 5).

Distribution: Lycoris wulingensis is distributed in the east of Wuling Mountains and its surrounding areas, such as Cili, Linli, Li, Taoyuan and Yongding Counties (Fig. 5).

Habitat: Lycoris wulingensis is partial to grow on the edge of forest roads, farmland or riverside beaches, usually under deciduous trees (such as Alangium chinense and Pterocarya stenoptera) and accompanied by Pinellia ternata, Commelina communis, Arthraxon hispidus and Ophiopogon bodinieri etc. The surrounding residents sometimes cultivate it as an ornamental plant.

Etymology: The specific epithet comes from its distribution area of the Wuling Mountains, which is an important biodiversity hotspot in South Central China.

Vernacular name: 武陵石蒜 [wǔ líng shí suàn].

 Si-Yu Zhang, Ying Huang, Pei Zhang, Ke-Run Zhu, Yong-Bing Chen and Jian-Wen Shao. 2021. Lycoris wulingensis, A Dwarf New Species of Amaryllidaceae from Hunan, China. PhytoKeys. 177: 1-9. DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.177.62741