Oreocharis zijinensis F. Wen, C. Xiong, K. Tan & Y. C. Xu 2026, sp. nov.

Oreocharis zijinensis F. Wen, C. Xiong, K. Tan & Y. C. Xu sp. nov. Figs 3, 4 Diagnosis. Oreocharis zijinensis resembles O. acaulis (Fig. 1 A 2, D 2) in floral characteristics, including the shape and color of the corolla, and the number of the staminode. It is easily distinguished by its leaf blade elliptic to ovate apex acute, base attenuate to cuneate, slightly asymmetric, adaxially densely silvery-white pubescent, abaxially white villous especially on the veins, lateral veins 5–10, corolla tube cylindric to narrowly campanulate, slightly enlarged at the mouth, lobes equal, distinctly 2 - lipped, apex acute, triangular semiorbicular, staminodes nearly equal. Type. China. Guangdong: Heyuan City, Zijin County, Guzhu Town, Dongjiang Forest Farm, 23°36'N, 114°42'E, elev. ca. 118 m, April 25, 2024, Ye-Chun Xu XYC 210425-05 (holotype: IBK [IBK 00473482!]; isotypes: IBK [IBK 00473480! IBK 00473481!]). Description. Perennial herbs, rhizomatous. Leaves in basal rosette, petiolate; petioles up to 5 cm long, 2–3 mm in diameter, white pubescent; leaf blade elliptic, oblong-ovate to ovate, 3–12 × 2–4 cm, adaxially green, densely silvery-white pubescent, abaxially pale green, white villous especially on the veins, apex acute, base attenuate to cuneate, slightly asymmetric, margin coarsely dentate-serrate; lateral veins 5–10 on each side of midrib, adaxially slightly sunken, abaxially protuberant. Inflorescence dichasial cyme, axillary, 1–9 per plant, each 1–10 - flowered; peduncle 6–15 cm long, ca. 2 mm in diameter, white pubescent; bracts 2, light green, lanceolate, ca. 3 × 0.5–1 mm, white villous abaxially, glabrous adaxially, margin entire, apex acuate; pedicel light green, 0.5–1.5 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diameter, white villous. Calyx 5 - parted to base, lobes equal, lanceolate to narrowly triangular, 3–4.5 × 1–2 mm, white villous abaxially, glabrous adaxially. Corolla pink at the apex and pale purple to white at the base, overall pale purple, 12–15 mm long, pubescent externally, glabrous internally, tube cylindric to narrowly campanulate, slightly enlarged at the mouth, 10–12 mm long, 3–5 mm in diameter; limb distinctly 2 - lipped; lip 5 - lobed, lobes equal, triangular semiorbicular, 2.5–3 mm long, 1.5–2 mm wide at the base, apex acute. Stamens 2, ca. 10 mm long, adnate to corolla from the base; filaments white, glabrous, straight, 7–8 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diameter, anthers brown, coherent in pairs, ca. 2.5 × 1.2–2.0 mm, divergent at base, confluent at apex; staminodes 3, nearly equal, linear, ca. 6.0 mm long, adnate to corolla from base. Disc waxy yellow, ca. 1.0 mm high, glabrous, margin undulate. Pistil glabrous at the apex and pubescent at the base, 1.4–1.6 cm long; ovary pubescent, cylindrical, 1–1.2 cm long, 1.0– 1.5 mm in diameter; style glabrous, 3.0–5.0 mm long, 0.5–0.8 mm in diameter; stigma punctate, ca. 0.6 mm in diameter. Capsule linear, pubescent, 2–3 cm long. Distribution and ecology. The new species is endemic to Zijin County, central Guangdong Province. It grows on moist rock walls on both sides of streams under subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests at an altitude of approximately 118 m in its type locality. Phenology. Flowering from March to April; fruiting from May to June. Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ zijinensis ’ refers to the type locality where the new species was found, Zijin County, Guangdong Province. The Chinese name is “ Zǐ Jīn Mǎ Líng Jù Tái (紫金马铃苣苔) ”. Conservation assessment. This new species is only found in the type locality and is presently known to occur in one population with ca. 800 matures individuals which were restricted to an area of 0.4 km 2. The distribution area is currently within a protected area and is protected by local policies. Affected by drought in 2022, the population has shrunk slightly. Thus, following the IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) guidelines (IUCN 2024), it is temporarily assessed as Vulnerable [VU]. Taxonomic affinities. Oreocharis zijinensis morphologically resembles O. acaulis in having leaf blade ovate, margin denticulate, corolla pink, two fertile stamens, and punctate stigma. It can be easily differentiated from O. acaulis by several characteristics, including the shape and indumentum of the leaf blade, the number of the lateral veins, the shape of the corolla’s tube and lobes, and the length of stamens and staminodes. The detailed characteristics of the related species are provided in Table 1. The Bayesian 50 % majority-rule consensus tree of Oreocharis inferred from the combined trn L-F and ITS sequence data reveals that O. zijinensis is phylogenetically most closely related to Oreocharis acaulis (Merr.) Mich. Möller & A. Weber (syn.: Opithandra acaulis (Merr.) B. L. Burtt) from Guangdong, China and Oreocharis dinghushanensis (W. T. Wang) Mich. Möller & A. Weber (syn.: Opithandra dinghushanensis W. T. Wang). The morphological differences between O. acaulis and O. zijinensis are shown in the above text and Table 1. Morphologically, O. dinghushanensis can be readily distinguished from the new species by its leaf blades margin entire, indistinctly repand, leaf base broadly cuneate, and the corolla ca. 2.8 cm long; tube narrowly funnelform, ca. 2 cm long; staminodes 2, ca. 1.5 mm long; ovary linear; and stigmas 2, suboblong, glabrous.