Abstract
Delphinium nanhuashanense, a new species of Ranunculaceae discovered in Nanhua Mountain, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, northwestern China, is described. Plants are 50–100 cm tall and densely covered with appressed short pubescence throughout. Leaves are 8–13 cm long and 8–13 cm wide; petioles are nearly equal in length to the leaf blades; basal bracts are leaf-like, while the other bracts are lanceolate, 6–15 mm long and 2–6 mm wide, covered with white short tomentum. Sepals are bluish-purple, 1.8–2 cm long and 1.5 cm wide; the spur is slender, 1.5–2.5 cm long and 2 mm wide, straight or slightly decurved downward in the lower part. Carpels are 3; the ovary is densely covered with grayish-white appressed short pubescence. Follicles are short and broad, 1–1.5 cm long. The discovery of this species increases our knowledge of the diversity within the Delphinium genus, and will further our understanding of its evolutionary and ecological relationships.
References
- Ai, T.M. & Wei, N.F. (2016) Medicinal Flora of China: Volume 3. Peking University Medical Press, Beijing, pp. 167–205.
- Chen, S., Meng, L., El-Demerdash, F.M., Zhou, L., Rizvi, S.A.H., Cui, L. & Kang, W. (2020) Review of compounds and pharmacological effects of delphinium. Journal of Chemistry 2020: 23. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9375619
- Cheng, Y., Guan, W. & Li, F. (2020) Characterisation and evaluation of interspecific cross-incompatibility in two Delphinium species. Folia Horticulturae 32 (2): 307–317. https://doi.org/10.2478/fhort-2020-0027
- Flora of China Editorial Committee (1979) Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae: Volume 27. Science Press, Beijing, pp. 326.
- Franchet, D. (1893) Delphinium maximowiczii. Bulletin Annuel de la Société Philomatique de Paris sér. 8 5: 164.
- Franchet, D. (1893) Delphinium yunnanense. Bulletin Annuel de la Société Philomatique de Paris sér. 8 5: 173.
- Franchet, A.R. (1893) Delphinium taliense. Bulletin Annuel de la Société Philomatique de Paris sér. 8 5: 174.
- Guan, W.L. & Li, S.F. (2002) Ornamental germplasm resources of genus Delphinium in Yunnan. Subtropical Plant Sci 31: 61–64.
- Huang, S., Wang, J., Pu, Y., Liu, Y., Chen, Y., Chen, L. & Zhou, X. (2024) Diterpenoid alkaloids from Delphinium trichophorum. Phytochemistry 225: 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2024.114186
- Li, L., Li, Q., Pan, A., Chen, F., He, Z., Li, Y., Bai, Z. & Zhang, R. (2025) Identification of heat-tolerance cultivars of Delphinium and their acclimation responses to high temperature stress. Scientia Horticulturae 342: 13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2025.114063
- Linnaeus, C. (1753) Species plantarum. Laurentii Salvii, Holmiae, pp. 530–531.
- Mir, W.R., Bhat, B.A., Kumar, A., Dhiman, R., Alkhanani, M., Almilaibary, A., Dar, M.Y., Ganie, S.A. & Mir, M.A. (2023) Network pharmacology combined with molecular docking and in vitro verification reveals the therapeutic potential of Delphinium roylei munz constituents on breast carcinoma. Frontiers in Pharmacology 14: 22. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1135898
- Munz, P.A. (1967) Delphinium roylei. J. Arnold Arbor. 48: 292.
- Royle, J.F. (1834) Delphinium brunonianum. Illustrations of the Botany of the Himalayan Mountains [Royle] 56.
- Tanikawa, N., Seto, H., Suzuki, S., Omori, A. & Tatsuzawa, F. (2024) Identification of novel flower anthocyanins of Delphinium grandiflorum cultivars. Dyes and Pigments 228: 9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dyepig.2024.112250
- Tu, X., Chen, J., Liu, X. & He, J. (2024) Two new anthranilamides with chemotaxonomic value from Delphinium tatsienense. Biochemical Systematics and Ecology 116: 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bse.2024.104868
- Wang, W.T. (2013) Six new species and two new varieties of Ranunculaceae from Southwest China. Guihaia 33 (5): 579–587. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1000-3142.2013.05.001
- Wang, W.T. (2014) Five new species of the genus Delphinium (Ranunculaceae) from Southwest China. Bulletin of Botanical Research 34 (5): 577–583.
- Wang, W.T. (2015) Delphinium pingwuense, a New Species of Ranunculaceae from Sichuan Province, China. Plant Science Journal 33 (1): 33–35. https://doi.org/10.11913/PSJ.2095-0837.2015.10033
- Wang, W.T. (2016) Two New Species of Ranunculaceae from China. Bulletin of Botanical Research 36 (1): 1–3.
- Wang, W.T. (2019) A revision of the genus Delphinium (Ranunculaceae) of China (I). Guihaia 39 (11): 1425–1469. https://doi.org/10.11931/guihaia.gxzw201901046
- Wu, Z.Y. & Raven, P. (2000) Flora of China(Vol. 24). Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, pp. 223–274.
- Xiang, K.L., Aytac, Z., Liu, Y., Espinosa, F., Jabbour, F., Byng, J.W., Zhang, C.F., Erst, A.S. & Wang, W. (2017) Recircumscription of Delphinium subg. Delphinium (Ranunculaceae) and implications for its biogeography. Taxon 66 (3): 554–566. https://doi.org/10.12705/663.3
- Yang, B., Lin, Q.W., Zhu, Q., Ma, L. & Li, X.W. (2022) Species cataloging of vascular plants in Ningxia, northwestern China. Biodiversity Science 30: 53–61. https://doi.org/10.17520/biods.2022039
- Zhang, K., Yuan, Y., Dawa, Z., Liu, F., Yao, Y., Wang, M., Zhu, C. & Lin, C. (2022) Integrating metabolomics and network pharmacology to reveal the mechanisms of Delphinium brunonianum extract against nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 293: 13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2022.115268
- Zuo, L. (2013) Evolution of the seed morphology and staminode colour in the perennial taxa of Delphinium (Ranunculaceae) and a re-evaluation of their taxonomic applicability: Evidence from chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequence data., South China Botanical Garden. Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou.
