Clematis liana Z. H. Chen, J. P. Li, J. B. Pu et W. Y. Xie, 2025

Clematis liana Z. H. Chen, J. P. Li, J. B. Pu et W. Y. Xie sp. nov.

Figs 4 View Figure 4 , 5 View Figure 5 , 6 Chinese name: 安吉铁线莲 (Ān Jí Tiě Xiàn Lián View Figure 6 )

Type.

China • Zhejiang Province: Huzhou City, Anji County, Longwangshan mountain, Dongguan to Xianrenqiao , shaded valley under deciduous broad-leaved forest, 30°24'25.55"N, 119°26'35.69"E, alt. 1,248 m a. s. l., 5 August 2024, Jun-Ping Li, Xian-Ting Wang, Zheng-Hai Chen, Wei-Qing Liang et al. TXLAJ 2024080501 ( holotype: ZM [barcode NH 0067429 !]; isotypes: ZM [barcode NH 0067430 !], ZJMR [barcode 00015501!]) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

C. liana sp. nov. is morphologically similar to C. urticifolia Nakai ex Kitag. , but differs by the following characters: perennial herb with hermaphroditic flowers (vs. subshrub with polygamous flowers); floral bracts narrowly ovate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate, subentire, 5–8 mm long (vs. linear-lanceolate or triangular, 1.2–5 mm long); flowers bisexual, urceolate (vs. urceolate or tubular-urceolate); calyx creamy white or pale yellow with pale purple apices (vs. entirely purple); stamens 16–18 (vs. 12–16), filaments narrowly oblong, 5–6 mm long, glabrous (vs. lanceolate-linear, 7–9 mm long, pilose apically), anthers narrowly lanceolate, 2.9–3.6 mm long (vs. linear, 4–5 mm long), pollen grain 25.0 μm in diam. (vs. 21.8 μm); carpels 19–20 (vs. ca. 12); stems and petioles sharply longitudinal-edged or narrowly winged (vs. blunt longitudinal-ridged); leaflet blade broadly ovate, ovate-circular to subcircular, apex shortly acuminate (vs. broadly rhombic to obovate, apex acuminate).

Description.

Perennial herb, 0.5–1.0 m tall. Roots woody, brownish. Stems erect, robust, green, sharply 6 - ridged or narrowly winged, deeply 6 - sulcated, initially sparsely white-puberulent, glabrescent at maturity. Leaves ternate (upper leaves simple, trilobate to subtrilobate); petioles stout, up to 20 cm long, adaxially deeply sulcated, abaxially sharply-ridged, basally slightly widened and connate to opposite petiole, often tinged purple, initially sparsely pubescent, glabrescent at maturity; terminal leaflets chartaceous, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 8–14 × 5–14 cm, shallowly 3 - lobed or undivided apically, apex acute to shortly acuminate, base rounded or cuneate, adaxially green, subglabrous (veins impressed), abaxially pale green (veins prominent, sparsely pubescent along veins), margin irregularly dentate (teeth tip short-pointed), petiolules 3–4 cm long, often tinged purple; lateral leaflets smaller, asymmetrical, petiolules 3–8 mm long, base tinged purple. Inflorescence cymose 1–3 - flowered, fasciculate, axillary, subsessile; involucral bracts ovate to oblanceolate, asymmetrical, apex 2 - or 3 - dentate, 12–15 mm long (including stalk), puberulous; floral bracts narrowly ovate to narrowly ovate-lanceolate, subentire, puberulous, 5–8 mm (including stalk); stalk adaxially base often tinged purple. Flowers bisexual, urceolate, ca. 1.8 cm in diam., fragrant; pedicels stout, 2–9 mm long, 1.5–1.7 mm in diam., short-pubscent; sepals 4, imbricate, erect, creamy white or pale yellow with pale purple apices, narrowly ovate or lanceolate, ca. 15 × 5.5 mm, apex acuminate, recurved outward, outer surface densely appressed-puberulent (velutinous on margins), inner surface glabrous, 3 - veined; stamens 16–18, 9–11 mm; filaments narrowly oblong, S-shaped, 5–6 mm, white, glabrous; anthers narrowly lanceolate, 2.9–3.6 mm, connective sparsely pilose, apex finely pointed; pollen pantoporate, 25.0 μm in diam. Carpels 19–20, 2.5–3.0 mm, densely white sericeous-villous. Achenes slightly compressed, ovoid, 3.1 – 4.2 × 2.2–3.7 mm, reddish-brown, sparsely appressed-puberulous; persistent styles 1.1–2.5 cm, plumose.

Phenology.

Flowering late July – August; fruiting late October – November.

Etymology.

The species epithet liana honors Professor Li Gen-you (李根有), a renowned botanist at Zhejiang A & F University, who first recognized the taxonomic distinctiveness of this species during field surveys in 2013.

Distribution and ecology.

Clematis liana is currently known from Anji County (Huzhou City) and Lin’an District (Hangzhou City) in Zhejiang Province, and She County (Huangshan City) in Anhui Province, eastern China. It grows in gravel accumulations under deciduous broad-leaved forests within valleys or on mid-elevation mountain slopes, at altitudes of 640–1,463 m.

Conservation assessment.

We calculated the conservation metrics for Clematis liana sp. nov. using GeoCAT ( Bachman et al. 2011), with an Area of Occupancy (AOO) of 24.0 km 2 and Extent of Occurrence (EOO) of 442.7 km 2, based on field investigations and herbarium specimen records. The five known subpopulations collectively contain fewer than 1,000 mature individuals. Based on IUCN (2024) Endangered (EN-C 2) C. liana sp. nov. is assessed as Endangered (EN).

Additional specimen examined ( Paratypes).

China • Zhejiang Province, Huzhou City, Anji County, Longwangshan mountain: Xianrenqiao , understory of valley forests alt. 900 m, 24 August 1988, Yue-Liang Xu & Fang-Gang Zhang 0600 ( ZM) ; • ibid., Qianmutian trail , forested streamside gravel, alt. 920 m a. s. l., 28 July 2015, Xiao-Feng Jin s. n. ( PE) ; • ibid., understory of valley forests, 30°24'27.58"N, 119°26'28.71"E, alt. 1,173 m a. s. l., 5 August 2024, Jin-Bao Pu, Zheng-Hai Chen, Jun-Ping Li, Li-Peng Yu et al. TXLAJ 2024080505 ( ZM) GoogleMaps ; • ibid., understory of valley forests, 30°24'29.46"N, 119°26'22.52"E, alt. 987 m a. s. l., 5 August 2024, Jin-Bao Pu, Zheng-Hai Chen, Jun-Ping Li, Wei-Qing Liang et al. TXLAJ 2024080506 ( ZM) GoogleMaps . • Hangzhou City, Lin’an District, Xitianmushan mountain, Pingxi , 17 October 1952, Xian-Yu He New 1017 ( IBSC, NAS) ; • ibid., Sandaoling , in damp and shady places under deciduous broad-leaved forest, 30°23'35.39"N, 119°26'11.41"E, alt. 1,463 m a. s. l., 26 September 2024, Fen-Yao Zhang & Qi-Biao Xu 2024092601 ( ZM) GoogleMaps ; • Qingliangfeng mountain, Shunxiwu, Taoshuwan , 30°1'10"N, 118°56'24"E, alt. 1,028 m a. s. l., 10 November 2024, Wei-Qing Liang LATXL 2024111001 , LATXL 2024111002 , LATXL 2024111003 ( ZM) GoogleMaps ; • ibid., Kuliwan , grassy streamside, alt. 640 m a. s. l., 16 Sep. 1957, Xian-Yu He 23934 ( IBSC, NAS, PE) GoogleMaps ; • ibid., Zhaojiakeng , under forest by creek in south-west valley, 24 Sep. 1958, Xian-Yu He 30502 ( IBSC, PE) GoogleMaps ; Qingliangfeng, Niulangping , 30°7'16.38"N, 118°53'26.13"E, alt. 1,290 m a. s. l., 30 October 2023, Wen-Yuan Xie s. n. (achenes, ZJFC) GoogleMaps . • Anhui Province, Huangshan City, Shexian County, Sanyang Town, Qingliangfeng, Laoguaidui , beside ditch in valley, 30°5'56.41"N, 118°51'12.50"E, alt. 980 m a. s. l., 31 August 1983, Xiao-Ping Zhang 0931 ( IBSC) GoogleMaps .