Re-discovery and taxonomic clarification of Oreocharisleveilleana (Gesneriaceae) in Guizhou, China, over 100 years

Xiao-Kai Xiong; Song-Tao He; Yu-Lu Zhou; Fang Wen; Xin-Xiang Bai

doi:10.3897/phytokeys.242.115955

Re-discovery and taxonomic clarification of Oreocharisleveilleana (Gesneriaceae) in Guizhou, China, over 100 years

PhytoKeys. 2024 May 10:242:21-29. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.242.115955. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Xiao-Kai Xiong¹, Song-Tao He¹, Yu-Lu Zhou¹, Fang Wen^{2

3}, Xin-Xiang Bai¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Forestry, Guizhou University, CN-550025, Guiyang, Guizhou, China Guizhou University Guiyang China.
² Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain, Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, CN-541006, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences Guilin China.
³ Gesneriad Committee of China Wild Plant Conservation Association, National Gesneriaceae Germplasm Resources Bank of GXIB, Gesneriad Conservation Center of China (GCCC), CN-541006, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China National Gesneriaceae Germplasm Resources Bank of GXIB, Gesneriad Conservation Center of China (GCCC) Guilin China.

Abstract

Oreocharisleveilleana Fedde was collected in Ta-pin in 1910 and published in 1911. The collected location was verified within western Luodian County, Guizhou Province, China. However, there have been no records of the species' collection for more than 100 years since then. After extensive investigations by our research team on the type locality and its surrounding areas, we found that it is widely distributed in western Luodian County and eastern Wangmo County, Guizhou Province, China. During further research on the original literature, type specimens and type locality of O.leveilleana, the taxonomic position of O.leveilleana, which was once treated as a synonym of O.auricula (S.Moore) C.B.Clarke, was found to have a taxonomic problem. Through morphological research combined with geographical distribution analysis, it has been determined that it should belong to the genus Petrocodon Hance and it is the same species as P.coccineus (C.Y.Wu ex H.W.Li) Yin Z.Wang. According to the regulations and suggestions of the 2018 "International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (Shenzhen Code)", we propose and confirm a new combination - Petrocodonleveilleanus (Fedde) X.X.Bai & F.Wen and treat P.coccineus as a synonym of the new combination. Due to its unique bright red flowers within Petrocodon, its original Chinese name has been retained.

Keywords: Oreocharis; Petrocodon; Petrocodoncoccineus; new combination; synonym.

Xiao-Kai Xiong, Song-Tao He, Yu-Lu Zhou, Fang Wen, Xin-Xiang Bai.

Grants and funding

the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 32260782), the Key Science & Technology Research and Development Project of Guangxi (Guike ZY21195050) and the capacity-building project of SBR of CAS (KFJ-BRP-017-68).