Stellaria multipartita 2020

Stellaria multipartita Bo Xu & Meng Li sp. nov. 2020

MycoBank 

Holotype: CHINA. Chongqing: Wushan county, Dangyang town, Congping, in forest, 2041 m, 110°02’01”E, 31°23’38”N, 4 August 2019, Meng Li 00785 (holotype NF2007616!; isotypes CDBI!, NF2007617!).

Morphological description

Herbs annual, with roots filiform. Stems 10–40 cm tall, prostrate to ascending or erect, terete, basally branched, glabrous or sparsely pubescent. Stipules absent. Leaves petioled (petiole 2–6 cm long), with blade oblong-triangular to ovate-triangular (3.5–10 × 2–5.5 cm), margin entire, apex acuminate, base obliquely cordate to reniform, abaxially midvein prominent, adaxially midvein impressed, margin shortly ciliate. Terminal or axillary solitary flowers; bracts lanceolate, herbaceous, densely lanate, pedicel 4–4.5 cm long, densely woolly, pendulous after anthesis. Sepals oblong-ovate (5–6 × 1–2 mm), outside densely lanate. Petals 5, about 1.5–2 times as long as calyx, broadly obovate-cuneate (10–13 × 7–9 mm), base clawed, 1.5–2 mm; palmately fimbriate, with 10–12 linear divisions, cleft to middle or below. Stamens 10, shorter than petals. Ovary broadly ellipsoid-ovoid; styles 3, linear. Capsule ovoid, slightly longer than persistent sepals, 6-valved to base. Seeds 2–6, black-brown, reniform, slightly compressed, mamillate with semi-rounded tubercles.

Habitat: in mountain areas with low shrubby thickets in the margins of broad-leaved forest 

Distribution: Wushan county and Wuxi county (Chongqing, China).

GenBank Accession: MT344177

Notes: Stellaria multipartita is morphologically similar to S. radians (Stellaria Sect. Fimbripetalum) which differs by the several characters (see Table 1). The main characters to distinguish the two species are: habit (annual vs. perennial in S. radians), leaves (oblong-triangular to ovate-triangular vs. oblong-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate in S. radians), petals (10–12-cleft to middle or below vs. usually 5–7-cleft in S. radians), and seeds ornamentation (mamillate vs. scrobiculate in S. radians) (Fig. 4 & Table 1).

Reference: YAN-FENG SONG^1,2,6, MENG LI^1,2,7, BO XU^3,8* et al.

Stellaria multipartita: A. Habit, B. Stems, C. Roots, D. Leaf and petiole, E. Flower, petals (front view), F. Flower, sepals (dorsal view), G. Seed (photos by Meng Li).