Impatiens liboensis sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Guizhou,China

Impatiens liboensis K. M. Liu & R. P. Kuang, a new species collected from Xiaoqikong Scenic Area in southern Guizhou, China, is described and illustrated, including its seed and pollen micro‐morphology. Impatiens liboensis is similar to I. chishuiensis Y. X. Xiong and I. tubulosa Hemsl., but differs by having obviously irregular underground tubers, white or pink–white flowers, lower sepal with a 1.2–1.5 cm long spur, obovate dorsal petal, and obovate‐oblong or obliquely obovate lower lobes of the lateral petals with retuse apex.     

Impatiens menghuochengensis sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Sichuan,China

Impatiens menghuochengensis Q Luo. (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Shimian county in southwestern Sichuan province, China, is described and illustrated. It is similar to I. tortisepala J. D. Hooker, but differs in having stem unbranched in lower portion; lateral sepals transparent, obliquely ovate; dorsal petal with central columnar cristate swelling; lateral united petals with distal lobes oblong‐dolabriform, apically retuse; lower sepal saccate with purple–red veins, abruptly narrowed at belly into an incurved spur 20–25 mm. The morphological characteristics and surface patterning of the seeds and pollen of the new species are examined under SEM and compared with those of I. tortisepala.     

Impatiens chashanensis (Balsaminaceae) sp. nov. from Sichuan, China

Impatiens chashanensis H. Y. Bi & S. X. Yu (Balsaminaceae), a new species from the Sichuan Province in China, is described and illustrated. In comparison with the morphologically close I. dicentra , both species have succulent stems and the lobes of the lateral united petals end in a long hair, but I. chashanensis differs in having white flowers, four lateral sepals, lacerate apex of the inner sepal, shorter spur with swollen, slightly bifid apices. Moreover, leaf epidermal characters also support the recognition of the new species.     

Impatiens shimianensis sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Sichuan,China

Impatiens shimianensis Q. Luo (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Shimian county in southwestern Sichuan province, China, is reported and its morphological characteristics are described and illustrated. Pollen grain morphology and seeds under SEM are also described. The new species is somewhat similar to I. bahanensis, I. brachycentra, I. laxiflora, I. parviflora and I. racemosa, but differs mainly by having leaf blades with white short stiff adpressed hairs; basal lobes of lateral united petals triangular, distal lobes lanceolate; and lower sepal salver‐shaped. The distinguishing characters for these six Impatiens species are given in a table.     

Impatiens nanlingensis sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Guangdong,China

Impatiens nanlingensis A. Q. Dong & F. W. Xing, a new species of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) from Guangdong, China, is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to I. jinggangensis Y. L. Chen, but differs mainly by its lateral united petals; basal lobes suborbicular, marked with yellow stripes; distal lobes narrowly caudate, apex tailed. It also resembles I. bicornuta, but I. bicornuta differs mainly in its longer peduncles, up to 25 cm, pale blue–purple flowers and broadly sigmoid‐curved–saccate lower sepal.     

Impatiens quadriloba sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Sichuan,China

Impatiens quadriloba K. M. Liu et Y. L. Xiang sp. nov. collected from the Siguniang Mountains Nature Reserve in northwestern Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. The seed‐coat and pollen morphology of the new species are described and diagnostic morphological characters that distinguish the new species from the related I. falcifer Hook. f. are discussed.     

Impatiens pterocaulis sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Guangxi,China

Impatiens pterocaulis S. X. Yu et L. R. Zhang, a new species of the Balsaminaceae from Yancha, Longlin, Guangxi Region, is described and illustrated. This species is similar to I. wilsonii in having nearly white flowers, 4 lateral sepals and a racememos inflorescence, but differs by having winged stems, very short‐spurred lower sepal, yellowish flowers and an acuminate dorsal petal apex. Pollen characters and leaf epidermal micro‐characters of these two species were studied, and the results support that the two species should be kept separate.     

Impatiens maculifera sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) Yunnan,China

Impatiens (Balsaminaceae) is a notoriously difficult genus to study for reasons that include small, remote and endemic areas of occurrence, and difficulty in obtaining well‐dried herbarium specimens and separating and reconstructing floral parts from available dried specimens. Impatiens has also been notoriously difficult when it comes to phylogenetic resolution at the infrageneric level, but a new system with two subgenera (Impatiens and Clavicarpa) was recently proposed by Yu et al. and it has made it easier to classify newly discovered species. Impatiens maculifera, a new species of Balsaminaceae from Malipo County, Yunnan, China described here, is similar to I. parvisepala S.X. Yu & Y.T. Hou in having racemose inflorescences, four lateral sepals, clavate capsules and ellipsoid seeds, but differs in having leaves narrowly oval or with elliptic–lanceolate blades (versus obovate or obovate–lanceolate), obvious petioles (versus leaves subsessile), racemose inflorescence with 8–12 flowers (versus 6–8 flowers), flowers greenish yellow (versus yellow), lateral united petals and lower sepal with dense red spots (versus red spots absent), and dorsal petal with apparent stalk at base (versus unapparent stalk). Morphological characters and molecular phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequences from both nuclear ribosomal and plastid genes show that the new species differs distinctively from I. parvisepala. Furthermore, I. maculifera is distinguished from other Impatiens species based on morphological, micromorphological and palynological evidence, and molecular data.     

Impatiens rugosipetala sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Arunachal Pradesh,northeast India

Impatiens rugosipetala sp. nov. is described and illustrated from Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. The species is characterised by brick‐red flowers, narrowly elliptic to lanceolate coriaceous leaves, lower sepal mouth with a thick awn or beak, hooked spur and rugose petals.     

Impatiens adamowskiana sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from Arunachal Pradesh,northeast India

Impatiens adamowskiana from the lower Dibang valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India, is newly described and illustrated. The species is characterized by quadrangular winged stem, sessile leaves with attenuate base, 10–17 pairs of lateral veins, up to 20 cm long inflorescence with up to 30 flowers, red flower, navicular lower sepal, and upcurved spur.     

Impatiens brittoi (Balsaminaceae) sp. nov. from the southern Western Ghats,India

The new species Impatiens brittoi (Balsaminaceae) allied to I. herbicola Hook. f., is described from the Idukki biodiversity zone of the Western Ghats of India. Detailed notes on morphology, key diagnostic characters, distribution, pollen morphology, conservation status and colour photographs are provided for the identification of the new species.     

Impatiens pingxiangensis sp. nov. (Balsaminaceae) from the limestone areas in Guangxi,China

Impatiens pingxiangensis H. Y. Bi & S. X. Yu (Balsaminaceae), a new species from the limestone areas in Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to I. obesa in having succulent stems, subsessile peduncle, tufted pedicel and the lower petal in each pair of lateral united petals being connate, but differs from the latter by having perennial stems, leaf blades with 7–9 pairs of lateral veins, 1–2‐flowered racemes, ovate inner lateral sepals, and elliptic capsule. Moreover, the pollen and seed coat characters also support the recognition of the new species.     

Impatiens macrantha (Balsaminaceae) sp. nov., a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi,China

Impatiens macrantha S. X. Yu&Ying Qin (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated. Phylogenetic analysis based on molecular data shows the new species to belong to I. subg. Clavicarpa and to be closely related to I. tubulosa with which it shares succulent stems and racemose inflorescences, but it can be easily distinguished by having a 4 – or 5 – ridged stem, obovate or elliptic leaf blade, and saccate lower sepal. Furthermore, I. macrantha is distinguishable from other Impatiens in China by its obviously larger leaves and flowers. The evidence from morphology and molecular data both support I. macrantha as new to science.     

Daphne thanguensis sp. nov. (Thymelaeaceae) from Sikkim Himalaya

Daphne thanguensis sp. nov. from north Sikkim of eastern Himalaya is described and illustrated. It is a narrow endemic related to D. tangutica Maxim. Daphne thanguensis grows in open alpine pastures and differs from D. tangutica by having leaves with revolute margin and a tuft of hairs at apex, ebracteate inflorescence and flowers, calyx lobes with a tuft of hairs at apex and annular, slightly undulate hypogynal disk. The new taxon is also close to D. retusa Hemsl. But can easily be differentiated by its sessile inflorescence, ebracteate flowers and tuft of hairs at leaf apices and calyx lobe apices. A conservation status of the new species in accordance with the IUCN red list categories and criteria is provided and discussed.     

Lomatogonium cherukurianum sp. nov. (Gentianaceae) from Sikkim Himalaya

Populations of an unknown taxon of Lomatogonium A. Braun have been found during floristic surveys in the alpine pasture of north Sikkim, India. Comparison with morphologically similar taxa (Lomatogonium stapfii (Burkill) Harry Smith and L. longifolium Harry Smith) revealed that the new populations represent a species new to science, which is described as L. cherukurianum. Data on phenology, ecology and distribution of the new species is provided together with illustrations.     

Kuepferia kanchii sp. nov. (Gentianaceae) from Sikkim Himalaya

Kuepferia kanchii D. Maity, Sentu K. Dey & Adr. Favre, a new species from Sikkim Himalaya, is described and illustrated. It differs from its close relative K. infelix (C. B. Clarke) Adr. Favre ( = Gentiana infelix C. B. Clarke) by having sessile and smaller flowers, and smaller floral parts. Kuepferia kanchii is further characterized by a white corolla with bluish green patches on the outside at the base of each corolla lobe, and a corolla tube flushed with light green inside towards the base, blue filaments, sessile stigma, smaller capsule, and trigonous–elongated, ca 0.8 mm long and curved seeds.     

Cremanthodium latilobum sp. nov. and C. medogense sp. nov. (Asteraceae) from Chinese eastern Himalaya

Cremanthodium latilobum Y. S. Chen and C. medogense Y. S. Chen, two new species from Chinese eastern Himalaya are described and illustrated. A diagnostic key to the species of Cremanthodium section Pinnatinervia Y. Ling & S. W. Liu series Cuneata Y. Ling & S. W. Liu is provided.     

Rhabdosciadium urusakii sp. nov. (Apiaceae) from east Anatolia (Turkey)

Rhabdosciadium urusakii E. Akal?n sp. nov. (Apiaceae) is described and illustrated. It occurs very locally on scree slopes in Kemaliye (Erzincan), east Anatolia. This slender species is closely related to R. aucheri (Iran) and R. oligocarpum (south Anatolia). It is a very rare and critically endangered species. A key to all Rhabdosciadium species is given in this paper. The new species is characterized by dichotomous branched, long petiolate, pinnate and linear leaves, ovate‐lanceolate bracts, a brownish band and hairs on the dorsal side of the petals.