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Ding SX, Jiang H, Tian J, Ren J, Mutie FM, Waswa EN, Hu GW, Wang QF. Veronicastrum wulingense (Plantaginaceae), a new species from Southwestern Hubei, China. Bot Stud 2023; 64:3. [PMID: 36720741 PMCID: PMC9889593 DOI: 10.1186/s40529-023-00367-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The genus Veronicastrum Heist. ex Fabr. are mainly distributed in East Asia, and only Veronicastrum virginicum (L.) Farw. is disjunctively distributed in eastern North America. The south area of China (extending to Taiwan Island) is the richest in Veronicastrum species. It is of medicinal importance in China as traditional herbs used to treat ascites diseases that caused by schistosomiasis. During field investigation of plant resources in Pingbaying National Forest Park, Southwestern Hubei, China, an unknown flowering population of Veronicastrum was discovered from thick humus layers adjacent to rocks under broad-leaved forests by walkways. They were collected and morphological characters assesed for further taxonomic treatment. Molecular analysis was also conducted to ascertain its phylogenetic position in the genus Veronicastrum. RESULTS This species is similar to Veronicastrum liukiuense (Ohwi) T.Yamaz. from the Ryukyu Islands, but can be distinctly differed by its axillary inflorescences (versus terminal on short leafy branches), pedicels up to 2.5 mm (versus sessile), corollas purple to purple-red (versus white tinged with pale purple) and florescence June to July (versus September to October). Also, phylogenetic studies showed the species was an independent clade in the genus Veronicastrum based on the maximum likelihood (ML) analyses using two different matrix sequences of concatenated molecular markers. The plastid genome of this new species is also reported in this study for the first time. CONCLUSION The morphological and molecular evidences support the recognition of Veronicastrum wulingense as a new species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Xiong Ding
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Forestry College, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Hui Jiang
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jing Tian
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Jing Ren
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Life Science College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China
| | - Fredrick Munyao Mutie
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Emmanuel Nyongesa Waswa
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Guang-Wan Hu
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Qing-Feng Wang
- Core Botanical Gardens/Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
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