Saussurea degeensis L. S. Xu & Y. S. Chen 2025, sp. nov.

Saussurea degeensis L.S. Xu & Y.S. Chen, sp. nov. Type:— China, Sichuan Province, Dege County, Sixty-six classes, 31.71012011°N, 99.61840531°E, riverside meadow, elev. 3797 m, 6 Aug. 2023, L.S. Xu & S.Y. Du XD 2023289 (holotype: IBSC1038147 (Fig. 4, left); isotypes: IBSC, PE). Etymology:—The specific epithet ‘ degeensis ’ is derived from Dege County in Sichuan, China, the type locality of the new species. The Chinese name of this species is “ Dzē̿̐ ” (de ge xue lian). Description:—Perennial herb, 30–60 cm tall, with 1–4 flowering stems and lateral leaf rosettes, arising from a woody caudex. Caudex short, densely covered by dark brown lacerate remains of old leaf sheaths. Flowering stems erect or ascending, green, ca. 3 mm in diameter near the base, sparsely to densely white pilose. Leaves green or yellowish green, wrinkled, pilose to glabrescent, margin crisped and crenulate, remotely denticulate, or almost entire. Rosette and basal stem leaves petiolate, basally widened and sheathing; leaf blade ovate, elliptic or obovate or narrowly, 14.2–33.44 × 1.2–3.3 cm, adaxially green, abaxially paler green; margin crenulate to subentire and remotely denticulate; apex usually rounded or obtuse, sometimes acute, mucronate. Lower stem leaves 1 or 2, sessile, narrowly ovate, elliptic, or obovate, boat-shaped and sheathing stem, usually only apical part free from stem, 6.6–19.6 × 0.5–1.6 cm, green, sparsely to densely pilose; base rounded or cuneate; margin crenulate or entire; apex acute and mucronate. Middle stem leaves 1–2, sessile, 6.8–12.8 × 0.5–1.2 cm; gradually becoming membranous and purple; base amplexicaul and sheathing; margin entire; apex acuminate. Upper stem leaves 8–14, sessile, boat-shaped, sheathing stem (or the uppermost free from stem), 1.9–6.8 × 0.4–1.2 cm; green or yellowish green, usually tinged with purple or purple throughout, adaxially glabrous, abaxially sparsely to densely pubescent; base cuneate, amplexicaul or semiamplexicaul, margin entire; apex abruptly acuminate; the uppermost merging into involucral bracts, reaching, but not equalling, neither subtending nor enclosing the capitulum. Capitula 4–15, in a corymbiform synflorescence, terminal capitulum slightly overtopped by the lower ones, with 15–25 florets. Involucre narrowly campanulate to obconic, 0.7–1.3 cm in diameter. Phyllaries in 3 or 4 rows, imbricate, ovate-triangular to linear, apex acute to long attenuate, apex and margin densely bearded with long soft weak hairs; outer phyllaries triangular, apex acute, 7.5–10.3 × 2.8–4 mm; middle phyllaries narrowly ovateelliptic, apex acute, 9.8–10.2 × 1.5–2.7 mm; inner phyllaries linear, apex long attenuate, 11.5–13.5 × 1.8–2.1 mm. Corolla actinomorphic, 8.5–10.3 mm, dark purple; tube 6.5–7.3 mm; limb 3.9–4.8 mm; throat cylindric or obconic, 1.9–2.9 mm; lobes 2.3–3.1 mm with swollen, incurved, minutely papillose apex. Stamens 6.3–7.3 mm; filaments 0.7–1.1 mm; anther tube 4.9–6.5 mm including appendages; basal appendages 1.1–1.3 mm, strongly laciniate in many rather straight unicellular hairs. Style 8.3–8.9 mm; style branches 2.1–2.2 mm. Achenes (immature) cylindric, c. 4.5 mm, glabrous. Pappus heteromorphic, biseriate, dirty white; outer bristles numerous, straight, c. 5 mm, scabrid, falling individually; inner bristles 9.5–10.1 mm, dorsoventrally flattened, curved outwards, plumose, laterally fused at base and connate to a ring, falling as a whole. Phenology:—Flowering in August; fruiting in September to October. Distribution and habitat:— Saussurea degeensis is currently known from the western Hengduan Mountains (Fig. 5). It grows in alpine riverside meadows at altitude of ca 4,000 m a.s.l. Additional specimens examined: — CHINA. Qinghai, Nangqian County, undergrowth, elev. 3,591 m, 8 Aug. 2015, X.C. Chen & S. Xiao 8192 (HNWP); Qinghai, Nangqian County, undergrowth, elev. 3,591 m, 8 Aug. 2015, X.C. Chen & S. Xiao 8196 (HNWP); Qinghai, Yushu County, grassy slope, Kham Expedition 10-1075 (PE); Sichuan, Baiyu County, meadow, 24 Jul. 2010, Kham Expedition 10-575 (PE); Xizang, Gonjo County, 4,000 m, 15 Aug. 2010, Kham Expedition 10-1930 (PE); Xizang, Jomda County, Lejila Mountains, grassy slope, 4,000 m, 10 Aug. 2010, Kham Expedition 10-1563 (PE).