Chelonopsis guchengensis X. Q. Liu, Z. C. Wei, Y. H. Xu, Y. X. Chen & J. Wen 2025, sp. nov.

Chelonopsis guchengensis X. Q. Liu, Z. C. Wei, Y. H. Xu, Y. X. Chen & J. Wen sp. nov. Figs 3, 5, Zhang et al. 2012: fig. 1 Type. China. Hubei • Gucheng County, Nanhe National Nature Reserve, valley nearby Nanhe River, 32°2'8"N, 111°23'48"E, 592 m, 23 October 2023, in ff., X. Q. LIU 1200 (holotype: CCAU!; isotypes: CCAU!). Diagnosis. The new species is morphologically similar to C. giraldii but differs in having longer and wider leaves (ca. 2–10 cm × 1–5 cm vs ca. 2.5–4 cm × 1.8–2.5 cm), and different leaf shapes (leaf shape oblong-ovoid, base attenuate, margin serrate, apex caudate vs leaf shape ovate, base truncate, margin crenate, apex obtuse in C. giraldii) (Fig. 4). The main differences between C. guchengensis and other plants in the genus are as follows: leaf shape oblong-ovoid (vs lanceolate in C. chekiangensis and ovate in C. rosea and C. mollissima); usually 2 - flowered, pedicel length 1.5 cm (vs 3 - flowered or more, pedicel tight and nearly sessile in C. abbreviata); bracteoles linear-lanceolate, ca. 1.5 cm long (vs bracteole conspicuous, leaf lanceolate, ca. 2.5 cm long in C. bracteata); corolla purplish red (vs yellow in C. lichiangensis, C. odontochila and milky yellow in C. souliei); and calyx apex acuminate (vs gradually aristate in C. forrestii). Description. Semi shrubs, ca. 1–2 m tall. Stem: terete, striate, much branched, densely white tomentose, lime green or purple-red. Leaves: ca. 2–10 cm × 1–5 cm, opposite, lanceolate to ovate, apex acuminate, base cuneate, margins doubly serrate, green above, paler below, leaves all cauline, finely punctate, adjacent leaves cruciform, leaf surfaces white bristly, leaf abaxial surfaces glabrous, lateral veins 5–7 pairs, impressed above, elevated below; petiole slender, subterete, ca. 1–3 cm long, densely puberulent. Inflorescence: Cymes axillary, usually 2 - flowered. Bracteoles: 2, linear-lanceolate, ca. 1–1.5 cm × 1–2 mm. Flowers: purplish red; calyx with 5 regular, very large, triangular teeth, calyx tube outside white pilose, inside glabrous, apex acuminate, reticulate veins conspicuous, purplish red when young, the same color as the stem, turning green at maturity; corolla ca. 5 cm, upper and lower lips unequal, lower lip obviously longer than upper lip; corolla tube ca. 3 cm, projecting much beyond calyx tube, throat inflated, exterior densely white tomentose, interior glabrous, irregularly spotted along lower lip axis; stamens didynamous, anterior pair longer, filaments filiform, flattened, puberulent, anthers ovoid, whiskered; styles filiform, glabrous, projecting beyond apothecia, apex equally 2 - lobed. Phenology. Flowering from September to October. Distribution and habitat. At present, this species is only found in the mountainous area of Nanhe National Nature Reserve, Gucheng County, Hubei Province, China and Shennongjia Forest District, which is commonly found in the valleys near water sources at an altitude of 432–673 m, as well as in moist and fertile thickets (Fig. 6). Etymology. The new species is named after Gucheng County in Hubei, China where it is distributed. The Chinese name is given as “ 谷城铃子香 ”.