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Issue: Vol. 646 No. 2: 2 May 2024
Type: Article
Published: 2024-05-02
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.646.2.8
Page range: 193-202
Abstract views: 60
PDF downloaded: 3

Cheniella tsoongii (Leguminosae: Cercidoideae), a rare, critically endangered new species from southern China

State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China, Ningbo Botanical Garden, Ningbo 315201, China
Guangdong Forest Resources Conservation Center, Guangzhou 510173, China
Guangdong Forest Resources Conservation Center, Guangzhou 510173, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China, Ningbo Botanical Garden, Ningbo 315201, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China, Ningbo Botanical Garden, Ningbo 315201, China
State Key Laboratory of Plant Diversity and Specialty Crops / Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Applied Botany / Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China, South China National Botanical Garden, Guangzhou 510650, China
Bauhinia s.l endemic extremely small populations Fabaceae flora of China Guangdong Province IUCN Eudicots

Abstract

We describe here a rare, critically endangered new species of the genus Cheniella from Guangdong province of southern China. Cheniella tsoongii is morphologically similar to C. corymbosa, and can be distinguished by having a combination of deeply-bilobed hairy leaves, white flowers, shorter hypanthia, yellow anthers, and densely ferruginous-tomentose inflorescence rachides, pedicles and hypanthia. We suggest assessing the conservation status of the species as Critically Endangered (CR) as it possesses an extremely high risk of extinction based on the rapid population declines during the last century and, only no more than 10 individuals remain in an environmentally unprotected area now. Urgent conservation studies and actions are necessary to prevent the extinction of this species.

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