Impatiens yunlingensis (Balsaminaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China Author Yu, Jiang-Hong College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China & State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China Author Zhang, Wen-Di State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Author Qin, Fei State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Author Xia, Chang-Ying State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China & Biomedical Sciences, College of Graduate Studies, Midwestern University, Arizona 85308, USA & College of Veterinary Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, Arizona 85308, USA Author Qin, Ying https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2683-206X School of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China & Chongqing Key Laboratory of Plant Resource Conservation and Germplasm Innovation, Chongqing 400715, China Author An, Ming-Tai College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China gdanmingtai@126.com Author Gadagkar, Sudhindra R. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2830-380X Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, China sgadag@midwestern.edu Author Yu, Sheng-Xiang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5823-2870 State Key Laboratory of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China & University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China yushengxiang@ibcas.ac.cn text PhytoKeys 2022 2022-10-27 212 13 27 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.212.89347 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.212.89347 1314-2003-212-13 F2D27C3DD93A5B1E8F3E9EB3BB611B63 Impatiens yunlingensis S.X. Yu, Chang Y. Xia & J.H. Yu sp. nov. Figs 1 , 2 Diagnosis. Similar to I. delavayi Franchet, in having coarsely crenate leave margin, bracts in the upper part, ca. 4/5 length of the pedicels, saccate lower sepal with shallowly bifid spur, but differs from I. delavayi with lateral sepals 4 (vs. 2) and lateral united petal basal lobes subtriangular (vs. dolabriform). Type . China . Yunnan : Deqen County , Yunling Township , Yongzhi Village , understory and along river, alt. 1780 m , 28°11'N , 98°49'E , 07 Oct. 2018 , Shengxiang Yu, Changying Xia, Xuexue Wu and Xiaxing Liu 9998 ( holotype : PE, isotype: IBK) . Figure 1. Impatiens yunlingensis S.X. Yu, Chang Y. Xia & J.H. Yu, sp. nov. A branch with leaves, flowers and capsules B flower, front view C flower, lateral view D outer lateral sepal E inner lateral sepal F lower sepal G dorsal petal H lateral united petals (H1) basal lobe (H2) distal lobe I filaments and anthers J capsules (Drawing by Wen-Hong Lin). Description. Annual herb, 50-70 cm tall. Stems slender, erect, branched, or simple, glabrous; inferior nodes swollen, glabrous. Leaves alternate; lower and middle leaves petiolate, upper leaves sessile or subsessile; petiole 2-3 cm long, slender, purplish or pale green, glabrous, glandless; leave blade, 5-8 cm long, 3-5 cm wide, broadly ovate or ovate-orbicular, base cordate, apex obtuse, margin coarsely crenate, thinly membranous, glabrous; lateral vein 5-7 pairs; margin coarsely crenate. Lower and middle leaves petiolate; petiole 2-3 cm long, glabrous, purplish, slender; Racemes in upper axils, 2-3-flowered; peduncles 2-4 cm long, slender. Pedicels 1-3 cm long, glabrous, purplish, bracteate below flowers; bracts ovate, in the upper part, ca. 4/5 length of the pedicels, ca. 1 mm wide, 1-3 mm long, acute, persistent. Flowers purplish, large, 2.5-3.5 cm deep. Lateral sepals 4; outer 2 large, 1-1.5 cm long, ca. 1 cm wide, 1-3 mm long, obliquely ovate, inequilateral, apex acute, glabrous, purplish; inner 2 small, 2-4 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, oblong, apex acuminate glabrous, purplish or pale green. Lower sepal 2-2.5 cm deep, 1.5-2 mm wide, 2.5-3 cm long, saccate, purplish red, abruptly narrowed into an incurved spur; spur short, ca. 1 cm long, shallowly bifid. Dorsal petal 8-12 mm long, 10-15 mm wide, orbiculate, base truncate, apex rounded, glabrous, purple, midrib thickened. Lateral united petals 2.5-3 cm long, 2-lobed; basal lobes ca. 1 cm long, 5 mm wide, subtriangular, apex obtuse, glabrous, purplish; distal lobes 2.5-3 cm long, 8-12 mm wide, triangular, apex acute glabrous, purplish or buff; auricle inflexed. Stamens 5, anthers obtuse. Capsule linear, 3-4 cm long, five carpels, many seeds per locule. Seeds elliptic-oblong, tuberculate. Figure 2. A-F Impatiens yunlingensis A habitat B plant C branch with flower D flower, front view E flower, lateral view F flower anatomy (a) dorsal petal (b) lateral united petals (c) outer lateral sepal (d) inner lateral sepal (e) lower sepal (f) filaments and anthers G Impatiens delavayi branch with flowers H Impatiens delavayi flower. Phenology. Flowering occurs from September to October, fruiting from September to November. Distribution and ecology. This species is only known to be found in Deqen County, Yunnan, China (Fig. 3 ); under evergreen broadleaf forests and along the river; alt. 1780-2500 m. Figure 3. Geographical distribution of Impatiens yunlingensis . Conservation status. Impatiens yunlingensis is only known from the type locality with two middle-sized populations in an area that has been severely disturbed by overgrazing. Based on lack of additional local studies, we consider its status as Data Deficient [DD] ( IUCN 2017 ). However, since the Hengduan Mountains are characterized by the high diversity of narrow-ranged species, including endemic, threatened, rare, and nationally protected species ( Qin et al. 2017 ; Sun et al. 2017 ; Xu et al. 2019 ), all of which have been considered as a conservation priority for its global biodiversity hotspot and high species richness ( Myers et al. 2000 ; Brooks et al. 2006 ; Xu et al. 2019 ). The conservation status of this apparently rare and narrow-ranged species is of high concern. Etymology. The specific epithet ' yunlingensis ' refers to the locality of the type specimen, Yunling Township, Deqen County, Yunnan, China. Additional specimen examined. Paratype . China. Yunnan: Deqen County, Yunling Township, Shualao Village; hillside and understory, alt. 2500 m, 28°09'N , 98°47'E , 07 Oct. 2018, Shengxiang Yu, Changying Xia, Xuexue Wu and Xiaxing Liu 10002 (PE). Seed description and palynology. Seeds of I. yunlingensis are elliptic-oblong, with a size of 2.6 x 1.9 mm, L (long) / W (wide) = 1.37 (Fig. 4 A-C ). The surface is equipped with coarse tubercular ornamentation mostly covered by grain-shaped appendages. While the seeds of I. delavayi are also elliptic-oblong, with a size of 3.5 x 2.3 mm, L (long) / W (wide) = 1.52 (Fig. 4 D-F ), the surface contains coarse tubercular ornamentation glabrous and no grain shaped appendages on the top. Pollen grains of both I. yunlingensis and I. delavayi are tetracolpate, elliptic in polar view, exine with irregular reticulate ornamentation, and granules in lumina. Impatiens yunlingensis pollen size (E1 x E2: length of long equatorial axis x length of short equatorial axis) is 28.05 x 16.67 μm (Fig. 4 G-I ), while it is 27.78 x 17.50 μm (E1 x E2) for I. delavayi (Fig. 4J-L ) (Suppl. material 1: Table S2). Figure 4. Scanning electron microscope images of seeds and pollen grains A-C seeds of Impatiens yunlingensis D-F seeds of I. delavayi G-I pollen grains of I. yunlingensis J-L pollen grains of I. delavayi .