|
Veronicastrum wulingense
Veronicastrum wulingense, known as wu ling fu shui cao (Chinese: 武陵腹水草), is a herbaceous plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is endemic to a small geographic range in China.[1] The perennial herb is from the genus Veronicastrum, a genus that is used in traditional Chinese medicine.[1] Stemming from the family Plantaginaceae, there are close to twenty species of Veronicastrum, with a primary geographic location in East Asia, though there is one species, Veronicastrum virginicum[2] that is endemic to North America.[1] DescriptionThe species was found in the Pingbaying National Forest Park, Xianfeng County, Southwestern Hubei, China, in June 2021, close to rocks, along the walkways of a broadleaf forest. Comparisons to other Veronicastrum species found that it was indeed a new species.[1] MorphologyComparison of morphology was done between the new Veronicastrum species and other related Veronicastrum species based on the Flora of China, the Flora of Taiwan, and the Flora of Japan.[1] The new species was also virtually examined in the world's major herbarium in China.[1] The botanists compared twelve other Veronicastrum species from different areas for validation of the species type.[1] Specimens of Pseudolysimachion spicatum (L.) Opiz in China were also collected and prepared.[1] A specific morphological comparison between V. wulingense and the similar species V. liukiuense (Ohwi) T.Yamaz. was done to validate the characteristics of the new species.[1] The specimens of the Veronicastrum wulingense are in the herbarium of Wuhan Botanical Garden (HIB), Chinese Academy of Sciences.[1] DNA extraction and sequencing was done on thirteen samples to construct a phylogenetic tree to show where the new taxon in Veronicastrum should stand.[1] PhenologyVeronicastrum wulingense was observed flowering from June to July and produces fruit from August to October.[1] TaxonomyThe species was first described in 2023.[1] As of April 2023[update], it was not listed in the International Plant Names Index.[3] The epithet wulingense refers to the Wuling Shan Region, where Veronicastrum wulingense is located and it has been given the Chinese name wu ling fu shui cao (Chinese: 武陵腹水草).[1] References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
