Resedaceae is a family of mainly Mediterranean herbs. The genus Stixis is one of the six genera in family Resedaceae. To date China has recorded three species and one subspecies of the genus Stixis, and all these species were reported in Yunnan province.
When surveying Extremely Small Population of plants in southwest Yunnan, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) and Yunnan Tongbiguan provincial Nature Reserve collected an unknown species in Dehong. After careful morphological study and literature review, they confirmed the species is new to science.
The new species is named as Stixis yingjiangensis, referring to the type locality, Yingjiang County, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan, China. It is published in Taiwania.
Stixis yingjiangensis is morphologically similar to S. philippinensis and S. villiflora, but differs from the two species by both surfaces with sparsely strigillose on lateral nerves, midrib and pustules, inflorescences axillary, filaments lower third pubescent, upper two thirds glabrous, ovary glabrous, etc.
Currently only two populations have been found in Yingjiang County, the first population (8 individuals were observed) in Nabang Town, at the edge of the forest, climbing on the tree. The second population (only two individuals were observed) in Kachang Town, grew by the roadside.
Since the species is found on the border between China and Myanmar, and the investigation in China has not been through enough to fully understand the natural distribution of the species. The researchers proposed the conservation status of Stixis yingjiangensis as Data Deficient (DD) according to the IUCN Red List criteria.
Contact
SHEN Jianyong
Department of Gardening and Horticulture, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
E-mail: shenjianyong@xtbg.ac.cn
Stixis yingjiangensis (Image by SHEN Jianyong)
Stixis yingjiangensis (Image by SHEN Jianyong)
Stixis yingjiangensis (Image by SHEN Jianyong)
Stixis yingjiangensis (Image by SHEN Jianyong)
Stixis yingjiangensis (Image by SHEN Jianyong)
