Lilium huanglongense T. Wang & Y. D. Gao, 2025

Lilium huanglongense T. Wang & Y. D. Gao sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2 , 3 View Figure 3 , 4 View Figure 4 , 6 View Figure 6 , Table 1 View Table 1 , Suppl. material 1: table S 1

Type.

China • Sichuan: Songpan County, Huanglong National Natural Reserve , 30 June 2023, Y. D. Gao GYD 2023001 (holotype: CDBI 0285062 About CDBI ) (Fig. 6 View Figure 6 ) .

Diagnosis.

Lilium huanglongense is most similar to L. fargesii and L. stewartianum , but can be distinguished from L. fargesii by its yellow tepals and stamens that are longer than the pistil and, in contrast to L. stewartianum , L. huanglongense lacks a deep, slender floral tubes (the height of the cone formed by the connivent tepals) and has a trilobed, non-inflated stigma. (Table 1 View Table 1 , Suppl. material 1: table S 1)

Description.

Bulb ca. 1.2–1.5 cm in diam., ovoid; scales 1.5–3 × ca. 8 mm, lanceolate, yellow. Stem 15–40 cm long, smooth, basal part red, red colour gradually fading and becoming green with reddish-brown speckles towards the apex of stem. Leaves 5.0–12.0 × 0.3–0.7 cm, scattered, mostly in middle and distal parts of stem, linear, margin recurved, smooth. Flowers actinomorphic, solitary, ca. 4–5 cm in diameter, nodding, Tepals 3.0–3.5 × 0.7–1.0 cm, lanceolate, margin revolute, yellow, with scattered, purple or purplish-brown spots mainly concentrated in the basal part; inner tepal nectaries with cristate projections on both surfaces, green; outer ones glabrous, with a green glistening nectarial channel at the base. Filaments 2–2.5 cm, glabrous; anthers 7–9 × ca. 2 mm, narrowly oblong, brown. Ovary 0.8–1 × ca. 0.3 cm, cylindrical. Style 0.8–1.2 cm, shorter than filaments, three-lobed without inflation, curved upwards. Capsule ca. 2 × 1.5 cm, oblong.

Phenology.

Flowering from June to July.

Habitat and distribution.

Occurring in alpine meadows on limestone slopes near streams, at altitudes of 3000–3300 m. This species is only known from three locations (one destroyed) in Huanglong National Nature Reserve, Songpan, NW Sichuan.

Etymology.

The epithet adopted here is derived from Huanglong National Natural Reserve, the site of discovery of this species.

Conservation status and IUCN preliminary assessment.

We conducted surveys in collaboration with staff from the Huanglong National Nature Reserve in Sichuan Province, China, covering approximately 150 km 2. The species L. huanglongense was found at only three locations. The Extent of Occurrence (EOO) for this species was calculated to be approximately 5.361 km 2, while its Area of Occupancy (AOO) was estimated at around 0.509 km 2. During our field surveys, we observed that the species’ habitat is highly unstable due to annual summer floods and rockfalls. In the summer of 2023, one of the previously known sites was completely destroyed by a mudslide, resulting in the loss of all individuals at that location (Fig. 4 A View Figure 4 ). At the remaining two locations, we recorded approximately 30 mature individuals in total each year. Given the limited distribution, small population size and the instability of its habitat, we propose that L. huanglongense be classified as Critically Endangered ( CR, B 1 i + ii, C 1) according to IUCN Red List Criteria ( IUCN 2024).