Flower of Oreocharis glandulosa

During 2011 and 2012, a few young researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) made many floristic surveys of southern Yunnan. They discovered and described some new species. They also collected a specimen of Oreocharis that morphologically did not match any of the known species. The specimen differed in having a corolla that is densely glandular puberulent outside, its limb distinctly two-lipped, stamens included, glabrous anthers connective glabrous and a ring-like entire to subentire disc.

   It is similar to O. bodinieri in its corolla shape, but can be easily distinguished by its dense glandular pubescence on the outside of the corolla, the limb distinctly two-lipped, the adaxial lip bilobed to near base, the lobes ovate to triangular-ovate, the abaxial lip trilobed to the base, the included stamens, the glabrous anther connectives and the ring-like, glabrous, entire or subentire disc.

   Oreocharis glandulosa is only known from southern Yunnan and grows on shady, humus-rich hillsides and rocks in the understory of evergreen broad leaved forests or on valley cliffs, elevation ca. 1600–1800 m. It is flowering from August to October and fruiting from September to November.

   The new species was described and illustrated as “Oreocharis glandulosa, a new species of Gesneriaceae from southern Yunnan, China” in Phytotaxa.

Habitat of Oreocharis glandulosa