Rubus tingzhouensis C. An & G. C. Lin A 2024, sp. nov.

Rubus tingzhouensis C. An & G. C. Lin sp. nov. Figs 3, 4 Type. China • Fujian: Longyan City, Changting County, Xuancheng Town, Xiashe Village, 25°24'06"N, 116°22'34"E, forests on mountain slopes, alt. ca. 351 m, 18 April 2024, C. An & G. C. Lin. 240418 (holotype: IBSC [barcode 1021457!]; isotypes: PE [barcode 02468523!, 02468524!]). Diagnosis. This species is similar to R. swinhoei in its growth habit, with ovate to oblong-lanceolate leaf blades and botryoid inflorescences that may be terminal or axillary. However, R. tingzhouensis can be distinguished by its dense indumentum of long, reddish-purple stipitate glands, soft setae and light yellow short trichomes on the plant surface. It also has scattered epidermal prickles, adding to its distinct appearance. Additionally, it has deeply laciniate stipules measuring 1–1.5 cm in length, which are significantly more divided than those of related species, making them a key distinguishing feature. Description. Vines, lianas and shrubs. Stems cylindrical, greyish-brown, with dense, reddish-purple long glandular hairs, soft bristles, short yellowish hairs and sparse prickles, apically rooting. Leaves simple; blades ovate to oblong-lanceolate, herbaceous, 8–16 × 3.5–6 cm, apex acuminate to acute, base cordate; adaxially flat, hirsutullous with long, purple stipitate glands along veins, abaxially densely yellowish-brown tomentose and pubescent, with long soft hairs along mid-ribs; principal veins sparsely retrorsely aculeolate, margin unevenly serrate to doubly serrate, apex acuminate to acute, lateral veins 9 to 10 pairs; petiole 1.5–2 cm, with dense, long, purplish-red glandular hairs and soft bristles; stipules caducous, free, pinnatipartite, lobes narrowly elliptic or lanceolate, densely covered with long glandular hairs and tomentose-villous, 1–1.5 cm. Inflorescences terminal or axillary, short botryoid, 5–10 flowered; involucral bracts 6–9 mm, lobed, lobes linear or lanceolate, villous, rachis and pedicels with dense reddish-purple long glandular hairs and soft bristles; peduncle 5–10 cm, pedicels 1.5–2 cm; Flowers 2–2.5 cm. Sepals ovate-lanceolate, 5–6 mm, apex acuminate to caudate, outer sepals usually 2 - or 3 - laciniate; abaxially densely greyish-white pubescent, purplish-red long glandular hairs and soft bristles, adaxially densely greyish-white pubescent. Petals white, broadly ovate to oblong, 5–6 × 4–5 mm, base barely clawed, slightly shorter than sepals. Stamens many; filaments linear, lower part slightly broader; anthers with few long hairs. Carpels many, style longer than stamens, glabrous. Phenology. Flowering in March to May, fruits have not been seen yet. Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ tingzhouensis ’ refers to the ancient region Tingzhou (汀州) in south-western Fujian, China, where this species was discovered. The Chinese name, “ 红毛木莓 ” (hong mao mu mei), reflects the plant’s dense covering of reddish-purple long hairs. Distribution and ecology. Currently, this species is only found in Changting County and Shanghang County, Fujian Province, China (Fig. 5). It is sporadically distributed in the understorey of the primary forest in mountain valleys at an altitude of 300– 400 m. The habitat features a thick layer of dead branches and leaf litter, as well as a substantial amount of humus, supporting vigorous growth of herbaceous, shrubby and woody plants. Associated species include Vernicia montana Lour. and Pterocarya stenoptera C. D. C. in the tree layer; R. corchorifolius L. f., Buddleja lindleyana Fortune, Diplospora dubia (Lindl.) Masam., Callicarpa kochiana Makino, Ilex pubescens Hook. & Arn., Itea omeiensis C. K. Schneid., C. formosana R. Br., Clerodendrum cyrtophyllum Turcz., Loropetalum chinense (R. Br.) Oliv., Mallotus apelta (Lour.) Müll. Arg., Trema tomentosa (Roxb.) H. Hara, Phyllanthus glaucus Wall. ex Müll. Arg., Melastoma malabathricum L. and R. reflexus Ker Gawl. in the shrub layer; Lysimachia alfredii Hance, Senecio scandens Buch. - Ham. ex D. Don, Blechnopsis orientalis (L.) C. Presl and Dicranopteris pedata (Houtt.) Nakaike in the herbaceous layer. Conservation assessment. R. tingzhouensis is documented in limited populations distributed within sparse forests on mountain slopes in Shanghang, Changting and Wuping County, Fujian Province or thrives along stream margins and under mixed forests. Notably, one population in Changting County is adjacent to a scenic locale, heightening its susceptibility to considerable anthropogenic disturbance. Furthermore, most of these populations are located outside designated conservation zones, making them vulnerable to ongoing exploitation of woodland resources by local residents. Thus, this newly-recognised species is assigned a preliminary status of Vulnerable (VU D 2) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (Standards and Group 2006; Betts et al. 2020), reflecting a population with a severely limited occupancy range (typically less than 20 km 2) or few locations (typically five or fewer).