Saxifraga damingshanensis (S. sect. Irregulares, Saxifragaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China

PhytoKeys. 2019 Oct 16:133:95-103. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.133.36704. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Saxifraga damingshanensis (Saxifragaceae), a new species from Damingshan Nature Reserve in Guangxi Province, is described and illustrated. A morphological comparison between the new species and its putative relatives, S. mengtzeana and S. luoxiaoensis, is presented. The new species is morphologically similar to S. mengtzeana, but it can be easily distinguished by its non-peltate leaf, both surfaces of mature leaf blade covered with white glandular trichome, petals 3-veined and margin entire. Phylogenetic analysis, based on two chloroplast DNA regions (matK and psbA-trnH), confirmed that the new species belongs to S. sect. Irregulares. The new species is currently only known from Damingshan, Guangxi and we assign it an IUCN Red List preliminary status as Data Deficient.

Keywords: China; chloroplast gene; phylogeny.

Grants and funding

School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University