The genus Pueraria (in the family of Fabaceae or legumes) contains 20 species of trifoliolate climbers, occurring in tropical and wetter temperate regions of East Asia. Pueraria omeiensis was ever treated as a new species, but this name was not validly published because only a Chinese description was provided.

To verify and confirm the taxonomic status of Pueraria omeiensis, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) collected specimens of Pueraria species in Southwest China from 2018 to 2021. Both morphological characters and phylogenetic analyses strongly supported Pueraria omeiensis as a distinct species. They published it in Taiwania. 

Pueraria omeiensis were collected from Mt. Emei (Sichuan), Nanchuan (Chongqing), and Honghe and Yanshan (Yunnan). Morphological observations and measurements were based on both living plants and 250 herbarium specimens. 

Pueraria omeiensis is a woody climber, climbing on the montane forests or thickets at an elevation of 300–2200 m. It is morphologically similar to P. montana, but it can be distinguished by the round (vs. ovate) terminal leaflet, densely lenticellate (vs.not lenticellate) branches, and calyx lobes nearly equal in length (vs. the lowest lobe the longest). P. omeiensis also resembles P. bouffordii but differs by the bluish purple corolla (vs. white or pink), and unlobed leaflet (vs.shallowly lobed).  

Because Pueraria omeiensis is widely distributed in Chongqing, Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Yunnan, SW China, the researchers considered its conservation status as Least Concern (LC) according to IUCN. 

Contact 

YU Wenbin Ph.D Principal Investigator   

Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China                

E-mail: yuwenbin@xtbg.ac.cn 

Pueraria omeiensis  (Image by YI Sirong) 

Pueraria omeiensis  (Image by YI Sirong) 

Pueraria omeiensis  (Image by LI Cehong)