Primulina minor sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a limestone cave in Hunan,China

Primulina minor from the Daoxian county, Hunan province in China is described. This new species is similar to Primulina jingxiensis (Yan Liu, W. B. Xu & H. S. Gao) W. B. Xu & K. F. Chung and P. longzhouensis (B. Pan & W. H. Wu) W. B. Xu & K. F. Chung, but differs by its number of leaves (4–6), broadly ovate, orbicular‐ovate or orbicular leaf blade, 2–4 cymes, short peduncle (1.8–2.0 cm long), white (or white with light purple tinge) corolla, small corolla (8–10 mm long), 3 staminoides of which the lateral ones are short (0.75–0.90 mm long) and adnate to 1.6–1.7 mm above the corolla base.     

Primulina petrocosmeoides sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi,China

Primulina petrocosmeoides Bo Pan & Fang Wen sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. This new species is similar to P. weii Mich. Möller & A. Weber, but differs from it in leaf blade ovate to elliptical, 1.0 × 0.8 to 2.5 × 2.0 cm, leaf base broadly cuneate, cymes 5–16, 2–6‐flowered, bracts narrowly lanceolate, calyx lobes lanceolate, 4.0–6.5 mm long, corolla bluish purple, 1.2–1.5 cm long, pubescent outside but glabrous inside, filaments purple, pubescent, staminodes 3, stigma trapezoid with its apex lobed to the middle and with dense short papillae.     

Primulina debaoensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a limestone cave in Guangxi,China

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Primulina debaoensis Neng Jiang & Hong Li, from Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, China, is illustrated and described here. It resembles another endemic and stenochoric species in Guangxi, P. pungentisepala (W. T. Wang) Mich. Möller & A. Weber, but differs by having 12–18 or more leaves, leaf blade being broadly linear, oblanceolate‐elliptical or oblanceolate, bracts being ovate or elliptical with silvery or argenteous nerves and by having a yellow ovary that is 4–5 mm long and sparsely white pubescent.     

Primulina xiziae sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Zhejiang Province,China

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Primulina xiziae Fang Wen, Yue Wang & G. J. Hua, from Zhejiang Province, China, is identified, illustrated and described. It resembles the widespread P. eburnea, and the stenochoric P. pseudoeburnea, but differs by the leaf blades being ovate‐elliptic or ovate, chartaceous with ciliate margins, 8.5–13.8 mm long, slender peduncle, ovate, ca 1.2 × 1.0 cm large bracts that are generally withered but persistent before full‐blooming stage, slender tubular‐infundibuliform, ca 25.0 × 7.5 mm corolla tube, limb lobes with acute apices, 3 staminodes, and by forming a dormancy bud in winter.     

Primulina suichuanensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Danxia landform in Jiangxi,China

Primulina suichuanensis X. L. Yu & J. J. Zhou, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Jiangxi, China, is described and illustrated. Morphologically, the new species is most similar to P. roseoalba, but differs by entire leaf blade margin, narrowly ovate bracts, reddish–purple or bluish–purple corolla, 3.0–3.4 cm long corolla tube, white filaments, and 3.6 cm long pistil. It flowers from September to November.     

Stromanthe bahiensis sp. nov. (Marantaceae), endemic to southern Bahia State,Brazil

Stromanthe bahiensis Yoshida‐Arns, Mayo & J. M. A. Braga sp. nov. (Marantaceae) is described as an endemic to the Atlantic Forest coast of southern Bahia State in Brazil. It is similar to S. hjalmarssonii (Körn.) Petersen, which is restricted to Central America, but differs from it by the following characteristics: petiole 14–70 cm long, leaf blade oblong‐ovate to ovate‐lanceolate, fertile bracts 18–30×2–4 mm, narrowly lanceolate to ovate‐lanceolate, sepals 4–6 mm long, corolla lobes 3.0–3.5 mm long, outer staminodes 2.0–3.5×1–2 mm, pale bluish or purplish, callose staminode 2–3×1–2 mm, cucullate staminode 2–3 mm long and ovary hirsute. The new species is described and illustrated with diagnostic characters, taxonomic comments and remarks on its conservation status.     

Primulina duanensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from Guangxi,China

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Primulina duanensis Fang Wen & S. L. Huang is described and illustrated from Guangxi, China. It differs from P. ronganensis (D. Fang & Y. G. Wei) Mich. Möller & A. Weber in having broadly lanceolate bracts, being 1–3‐flowered and possessing hairs on the upper part of the anthers where connected with the filaments; from P. sclerophylla (W. T. Wang) Yan Liu in having narrowly ovate to ovate leaf blade, leaf blade margin interrupted shallowly crenate, broadly lanceolate bracts, being 1–3‐flowered and possessing hairs on the upper part of the anthers where connected with the filaments; from P. shouchengensis (Z. Y. Li) Z. Y. Li in having narrowly ovate to ovate leaf blade, leaf blade margin interrupted shallowly crenate, broadly lanceolate bracts and possessing hairs on the upper part of the anthers where connected with the filaments.     

Chirita tiandengensis (Gesneriaceae) sp. nov. from Guangxi,China

Chirita tiandengensis Fang Wen & Hui Tang, a new species of Chirita from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to C. napoensis Z. Y. Li, C. lunglinensis W. T. Wang and C. obtusidentata W. T. Wang, but differs by leaf blades ovate‐lanceolate, both surfaces sparsely strigulose; cymes 5‐ or 8‐flowered, bracts narrowly lanceolate, 6–8×1.5–2.0 mm; larger flowers (3.8–4.6 cm long), pink corolla, infundibuliform‐tubular tube; backside of anthers puberulous, filaments straight; staminodes glabrous, fused on the capitate top; stigma bipartite to the base with narrowly lanceolate lobes.     

Rubia austrozhejiangensis sp. nov. (Rubiaceae) from Zhejiang,China

Rubia austrozhejiangensis Z. P. Lei, Y. Y. Zhou & R. W. Wang, a new species of Rubiaceae from China, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to R. ovatifolia Z. Ying Zhang and R. argyi (H. Lév. & Vaniot) H. Hara ex Lauener, but differs from the former in having stems and branches cylindrical, not quadrate‐angled, long‐ovate to ovate‐lanceolate leaf blades, many‐flowered inflorescence, and smaller mericarps, 3–4 mm in diameter. In R. ovatifolia, stems and branches are quadrate‐angled, leaf blades ovate, ovate‐cordate to rounded cordate, and the inflorescences are sparsely flowered. Compared to R. argyi, the new species has cylindrical, not quadrate‐angled stems and branches, leaf blades that are long‐ovate to ovate‐lanceolate, 3–5‐veined, and slightly reflexed corolla lobes. In R. argyi, stems and branches are quadrate‐angled or winged, the corolla lobes are spreading, and the mericarps are 5–7 mm in diameter.     

Petrocodon retroflexus sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a karst cave in Guizhou,China

Petrocodon retroflexus Q. Zhang & J. Guo, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guizhou, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is morphologically similar to Petrocodon viridescens W. H. Chen, Mich. Möller & Y. M. Shui, but differs by its leaf blade being ovate, broadly ovate to elliptic, 8–20 × 5–15 cm and densely pilose on both surfaces, narrowly triangular, 9 mm long, densely pilose bracts, white corolla that is decurved near the middle, with adaxial lip shallowly 4‐partitioned and retroflexed, and pistil ca 1.3 cm long and densely pilose and glandular‐pilose.     

Picrorhiza tungnathii sp. nov. from western Himalaya,India

The new species Picrorhiza tungnathii Pusalkar is described and illustrated from the western Himalaya, India. It is distinguished from the allied P. kurrooa Royle ex Benth. by being 10–25 cm tall, having a moderately dense, (10–)15–25‐flowered spike, a zygomorphic, 2‐lipped, glandular‐ciliate corolla that is equaling or slightly exceeding the calyx and partly visible or sub‐exserted between the calyx lobes, a conspicuously long (longer than the corolla lobes), curved corolla tube (1/2–4/5 the length of the calyx), unequal corolla lobes that are ovate‐lanceolate to lanceolate, acute to sub‐acuminate and moderately ciliate, a mid‐lobe of the upper lip that is obliquely erect, galeate with retuse or emarginate apex, lateral corolla lobes that are slightly smaller than the mid‐lobe of the upper lip, a lower corolla lip that is slightly shorter than the lateral lobes, obliquely erect or spreading, didynamous, long‐exserted (2–3 times the corolla) stamens, pollen of the Paederota‐type and a style that is 2–3 times as long as the corolla.     

Two new species and a new series of Elatostema (Urticaceae) from China

The new series Elatostema section Elatostema series Albopilosoides Q.Lin & L.D.Duan (Urticaceae) is described, and two new species of Elatostema, namely Elatostema albopilosoides Q.Lin & L.D.Duan and Elatostema purpureum Q.Lin & L.D.Duan. from south Guizhou province, south‐west China are described and illustrated. Both species were found growing only at the base of a large limestone chamber at an altitude of c. 800 m. Elatostema albopilosoides is morphologically similar to E. albopilosum W.T.Wang, but differs by having female inflorescences with peduncles 10–60 mm long (0–1.5 mm long in E. albopilosum) and receptacles 7–27 mm long, 7–24 mm wide (E. albopilosum: 1–4 mm long and 1–3 mm wide). Elatostema purpureum is also morphologically similar to E. albopilosum, but has stipules 5–6 mm long, 0.8–1.5 mm wide (4–7 mm long, 1.5–2.8 mm wide in E. albopilosum) and leaf blades obliquely elliptical to obliquely oblong‐obovate, 3.5–7.5 mm long and 1.5–2.5 mm wide (obliquely narrowly oblanceolate‐oblong, 12–17 cm long, 3–5 cm wide in E. purpureum:). © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158 , 674–680.     

Aristolochia bidoupensis sp. nov. from southern Vietnam

Aristolochia bidoupensis Do sp. nov. is newly described. This new species, currently only known from southern Vietnam, is most similar to Aristolochia faviogonzalezii (northern Vietnam) and A. moupinensis (China), but can be distinguished from the latter two by the following characters: flowers terminal, axillary, solitary, peduncle 1.3–1.5 cm long, bracteole ovate, 3–4 × 2–3 mm, limb discoid‐shaped with three expanded lobes, not revolute, internal surface uniformly dark purple, smooth, throat uniformly golden without dots. Morphological characters such as a 3‐lobed gynostemium and a 3‐lobed limb place the new species in A. subgen. Siphisia.     

Spiradiclis glabra sp. nov. (Rubiaceae) from limestone areas in Guangdong,China

A new species of Rubiaceae, Spiradiclis glabra, is described and illustrated from China. The species is most similar to S. fusca, but differs by having 5–7 pairs of adaxially unconspicuous secondary veins in the leaves, stipules 2–5 mm long, calyx lobes ovate‐triangular, corollas slightly purple–reddish, tubes 13–15 mm long, inside with a pubescent ring of long hairs at the throat, and stamens near the base in long‐styled form. The conservation status of this new species was assessed as ‘Vulnerable’ (VU) according to IUCN.     

靖西铁线莲, 广西毛茛科一新种

该文描述了自广西发现的毛茛科铁线莲一新种,靖西铁线莲,此新种与宝岛铁线莲在亲缘关系上接近,与后者的区别在于本种的茎疏被短柔毛,小叶卵形或狭卵形,不分裂,聚伞花序有1～3花,萼片较大长1.7～2 cm,宽0.5～0.7 cm。     

Primulina jianghuaensis sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from a limestone cave in southern Hunan,China

A new species of Gesneriaceae, Primulina jianghuaensis K. M. Liu & X. Z. Cai, from a limestone cave in Hunan Province, China, is identified and described. Its seed and pollen grain morphology are described. The new species is morphologically closely related to P. lingchuanensis ( =Chiritopsis lingchuanensis) and P. danxiaensis ( =Chiritopsis danxiaensis), but it can be distinguished by its 12–25 (–30) leaves, ovate or broad ovate leaf blade, subcordate, truncate or slightly decurrent leaf base, undulate leaf margin, 5–20 cymes, and 2–3 staminodes.     

Arisaema lushuiense sp. nov. (Araceae) from Gaoligong Mountains in Yunnan,China

Arisaema lushuiense G. W. Hu & H. Li, a new species of Araceae from Gaoligong Mountains in northwestern Yunnan, China, is described and illustrated. It is similar and closely related to A. auriculatum Buchet, but differs by its basically green spathe with semi‐rotund to broadly ovate, 6–8 mm long auricles; the appendix of the spadix is 3.5–5.0 cm long and the apex of the appendix depressed with faint longitudinal ridges and grooves, slightly curved forward, with purplish black color, and exserted 1.0–1.5 cm from the spathe throat.     

Chirita leprosa sp. nov. (Gesneriaceae) from limestone areas in Guangxi,China

Chirita leprosa Yan Liu & W. B. Xu, a new species of Gesneriaceae from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to C. wangiana Z. Y. Li, but differs by the leaf blade being elliptic to broadly elliptic, bracts broadly ovate, corolla pale yellow, filaments ca 9 mm long, geniculate near the middle, staminodes 3, and by a different flowering period (Oct–Nov).