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| Viola xinchengensis Y.Nong & G.Y.Wei, in Wei, Xu, Li, Feng, Hu, Yang, Qu et Nong, 2025. |
Abstract
Viola xinchengensis (Violaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China, is established on the basis of morphological and molecular evidence. This new species resembles V. lucens, but differs from the latter by its stipules margin long fimbriate-dentate (vs. fimbriate-dentate), stolon absent (vs. stolon slender, often producing a new plant at the top) and sepals 4–6 mm, glabrous (vs. 2.5–3 mm, villous). Viola xinchengensis is similar to V. fargesii, but it can be easily distinguished by its pedicels sparsely white villous (vs. densely spreading white puberulous), stolon absent (vs. stolon longer, elongated, puberulous, sometimes stem-like) and sepals 4–6 mm, glabrous (vs. 7–9 mm, puberulous). Our morphology analysis confirms that the new species belongs to V. sect. Plagiostigma subsect. Diffusae. Photographs, an illustration, a distribution map and comparisons with the most similar species are also provided.
Key words: Morphology, new species, sinkhole, taxonomy, Viola
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| Line drawing of Viola xinchengensis Y.Nong & G.Y.Wei A flowering plant B flower C anterior petal D upper petal E lateral petal F ovary and style G stamens and pistil H stipule. Drawn by Xin-cheng Qu. |
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| Viola xinchengensis Y.Nong & G.Y.Wei A plant (top view) B plant (flowering) C flowers (lateral view) D flower (front view) E petals F lateral petal G–I ovary and style J stamens K–M capsule N seeds O leaf (adaxial surface) P leaf (abaxial surface) Q stipules R bract S habitat (Photographed and edited by You Nong). |
Viola xinchengensis Y.Nong & G.Y.Wei, sp. nov.
Chinese name. xīn chéng jǐn cài (忻城堇菜).
Diagnosis. Viola xinchengensis is most similar to V. lucens, but differs from the latter by its stipules margin long fimbriate-dentate (vs. fimbriate-dentate), stolon absent (vs. stolon slender, often producing a new plant at the top) and sepals 4–6 mm, glabrous (vs. 2.5–3 mm, villous). Viola xinchengensis is similar to V. fargesii, but it can be easily distinguished by its pedicels sparsely white villous (vs. densely spreading white puberulous) and sepals 4–6 mm, glabrous (vs. 7–9 mm, puberulous). More detailed morphological differences amongst the three similar species are shown in Table 2.
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Etymology. The specific epithet “xinchengensis” refers to the type locality, Xincheng County (忻城县), which is situated in central Guangxi, southwest China.
Gui-Yuan Wei, Chuan-Gui Xu, Ying-Jing Li, Bin Feng, Qi-Min Hu, Chao Yang, Xin-Cheng Qu and You Nong. 2025. Viola xinchengensis (Violaceae), A New Species from central Guangxi, China. PhytoKeys. 253: 143-154. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.253.128972
