Primula luquanensis sp. nov. (Primulaceae), a New Species from Southwestern China, Reveals a Novel Floral Form in the Heterostyly-Prevailing Genus

Abstract

A new species, Primula luquanensis Z.K.Wu and Wei Zhou sp. nov. (Primulaceae) is described and illustrated from Yunnan Province, China. It is morphologically assigned to P. sect Aleuritia based on its dwarf and hairless habit and coverage by farina on both sides of the leaf blade and scape. This new species is similar to P. nutantiflora and P. yunnanensis, but it is easily distinguished by its stolons, solitary bract, bell-shaped corolla and monomorphic floral form. The new species also has a substantially reduced corolla tube, presenting a unique floral form in a genus where heterostyly typically prevails.

Primula pingbaensis (Primulaceae), a new species from Guizhou, China

“…In contrast, the remaining species are almost monomorphic for style condition (i.e., homostylous), having either long styles and long-level stamens (long homostyly) or short styles and short-level stamens (short homostyly). Recently, a novel floral form in Primula was reported by one of the authors ( Wu et al 2023 ), which is characterized by bell-shaped flowers with exceptionally short tubes, stamens set just above the mouth of the tube and the style either as long as, or exserting, the corolla. In addition, some species have both heterostylous and homostylous populations, such as in P. chungensis Balf.f.…”

Primula jiaozishanensis (Primulaceae), a new species in Primula sect. Petiolares subsect. Davidii from Yunnan, China

“…130 species of Primula distributed across its range ( Fang 2003 ). With the increased exploration of the region, many new Primula species have been discovered and described over the past two decades ( Gong and Fang 2003 ; Xue and Zhang 2004 ; Shui and Chen 2006 ; Li and Hu 2009 ; Hu and Hao 2011 ; Yang et al 2017 ; Wu et al 2019 ; Ma et al 2021 ; Wang et al 2022 ; Wu et al 2023 ).…”

Primula xilingensis (Primulaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China

“…The genus Primula L. is one of the largest genera in the Primulaceae , encompassing approximately 536 species ( Ju et al 2023 ; Li et al 2023 ; POWO 2023 ; Wang et al 2023 ; Wu et al 2023a , b ; Yang et al 2023 ; Zhang et al 2023 ). In China, the last comprehensive account of the genus was that of Hu and Kelso (1996) who treated 300 species in the “Flora of China”.…”