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Issue: Vol. 765 No. 3: 2 Jul. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-07-02
DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.765.3.4
Page range: 257-268
Abstract views: 0
PDF downloaded: 0

Selaginella chrysorrhizos (Selaginellaceae), a new addition to the lycophyte flora of China based on morphological and molecular evidence

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; University of Chinese Academy of Science; Beijing 100049; China
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; University of Chinese Academy of Science; Beijing 100049; China
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; University of Chinese Academy of Science; Beijing 100049; China
Administration Bureau of Wenshan National Nature Reserve; Wenshan 663000; China
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
Pteridophytes lycophyte morphology new distribution plastid phylogeny species identification

Abstract

The identification of Selaginella leptophylla, a lycophyte species recorded from Guangdong and Hong Kong in southern China, is reviewed. Through literature review and specimen examination, we conclude that the record for S. leptophylla from Hong Kong is dubious due to the absence of authentic voucher specimens, whereas its record from Guangdong resulted from misidentification of S. chrysorrhizos, a species previously known only from the Eastern Himalayas and Indochina. This species has also been recently found in the wild in Yunnan and Xizang, southwestern China. Phylogenetic analyses of three plastid regions (rbcL, atpI, and psbA) demonstrate that S. chrysorrhizos is most closely related to S. densiciliata, S. vaginata, and S. xipholepis. A detailed description, along with illustrations, the diagnostic characters, and the morphological comparisons with similar species, is provided for S. chrysorrhizos.

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How to Cite

Huang, J.-K., Xie, Z., Li, X.-J., He, D.-M. & Dong, S.-Y. (2026) Selaginella chrysorrhizos (Selaginellaceae), a new addition to the lycophyte flora of China based on morphological and molecular evidence. Phytotaxa 765 (3): 257–268. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.765.3.4