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| Balanophora xinfeniae C.L. Fu, M. Li & B. Xu, in Fu, Zhou, Liao, Zhang, Xu et Li, 2025. |
Abstract
Balanophora xinfeniae C.L.Fu, M.Li & B.Xu, a new species discovered in Xizang, China, is described and illustrated here. Molecular phylogenetic analyses and morphological comparisons strongly support B. xinfeniae as a new species within the genus Balanophora. The most distinctive characteristic of the new species is its dioecious sexual system, with male flowers having a 3-lobed perianth, opposite leaves with serrated tips, and yellow scapes. Although it shares morphological similarities with B. henryi, B. xinfeniae can be distinguished by its flat spheroid tubers without stellate lenticels, yellow scape, prominently serrated apical leaf margins, and nearly spherical or ovoid-ellipsoid female inflorescences.
Key words: Balanophora xinfeniae, China, holoparasitic plants, phylogeny, taxonomy
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| Line illustration of Balanophora xinfeniae C.L. Fu, M. Li & B. Xu. A. Male individual; B. Male flower; C. Female individual; D. Female flowers surrounding one claviform body. Drawn by Zi-Heng Yu based on YLZB11691-A and YLZB11691-B specimens stored in CDBI. |
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| Balanophora xinfeniae C.L. Fu, M. Li & B. Xu. A, B. Habitats (both male and female; arrows point to female individuals); C. Female individual (upper) and male individual (lower); D. Male individual; E. Female individual; F. Leaves and scape; G. Leaves; H. Tuber; I. Male inflorescence; J. Female inflorescence; K. Female flower and claviform body. Photos by Meng Li and Chen-Long Fu. |
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| Morphology of Balanophora xinfeniae (A–C), B. henryi (D–F), B. involucrata (G–I), and B. flava (J–M). A, D, G, J, K. Male and female individuals; B, E, H, L. Leaves; C, F, I, M. Tubers. Photos by Meng Li and Wei-Hua Liao. |
Balanophora xinfeniae C.L.Fu, M.Li & B.Xu, sp. nov.
Diagnosis. Balanophora xinfeniae is morphologically similar to B. henryi, but the two species can be distinguished by several features. The tuber branching shape of B. xinfeniae is characterized as flat spheroid or subglobose, whereas that of B. henryi is irregularly spherical or oblate. The scapes of B. xinfeniae are yellow, in contrast to the red or red-to-yellow scapes of B. henryi. In B. xinfeniae, the apical margins of the leaves are prominently serrate, whereas those of B. henryi are entire. The female inflorescence of B. xinfeniae is nearly spherical or ovoid-ellipsoid, while that of B. henryi is broadly ovoid. The flowering period of B. xinfeniae is from April to May, compared to September to November for B. henryi (Table 2; Fig. 2).
Etymology. The species epithet xinfeniae honors Prof. Xin-Fen Gao (former curator of the CDBI Herbarium), a distinguished botanist who made significant contributions to the taxonomy of seed plants, lycopods, and pteridophytes.
Vernacular name. Chinese Mandarin: Xìn fēn shé gū (信芬蛇菰).
Chen-Long Fu, Jia-Ning Zhou, Wei-Hua Liao, Tong Zhang, Bo Xu and Meng Li. 2025. Balanophora xinfeniae (Balanophoraceae), A New Species from Xizang, China. PhytoKeys. 266: 241-252. DOI: doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.266.147400 [19 Nov 2025]
