J Syst Evol ›› 2007, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (6): 813-821.DOI: 10.1360/aps06138

• Research Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Two new species of Epimedium (Berberidaceae) from China

1GUO Bao-Lin, 2HE Shun-Zhi, 3ZHONG Guo-Yue, 1XIAO Pei-Gen   

  1. 1(Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100094, China)

    2(Department of Pharmacy, Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang 550002, China)

    3(Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing 400065, China)
    blguo221@hotmail.com
  • Received:2006-09-01 Published:2007-11-18

Abstract: Two new species of the genus Epimedium (Berberidaceae) from China, E. pseudowushanense B. L. Guo and E. qingchengshanense G. Y. Zhong & B. L. Guo, are described and illustrated. Epimedium pseudowushanense, distributed from southeast of Guizhou to north of Guangxi, has been previously misidentified as E. wushanense T. S. Ying because of the similarity in their leaflet shape, but they are two distinct species because of the obvious difference in their flower structure. Epimedium pseudowushanense is possibly similar to E. mikinorii Stearn, a species from Enshi, Hubei, in having petals with a very slender spur and a wrinkled lamina, but differs in the spur shorter, only 10–15 mm long, the lamina smaller, the leaflets narrowly ovate to lanceolate, sparsely white villose and glaucous on abaxial side, the petals purplish or purple with yellow lamina, and the inner sepals broadly ovate or ovate, 8–13 mm long. Epimedium qingchengshanense G. Y. Zhong & B. L. Guo, known only from Dujiangyan, Sichuan, is one of the Epimedium species with long filaments and most similar to E. fargesii Franch., but differs by having smaller flowers, bigger, rounded petal lamina without lobes, and purple filaments.

Key words: Epimedium, Epimedium pseudowushanense B. L. Guo, Epimedium qingchengshanense G. Y. Zhong & B. L. Guo, Berberidaceae, new species, China