Cardamine cheotaiyienii, a scapose perennial known for its leafless flowering stems and large white blossoms, was originally described from a single specimen gathered in Malipo County in 1940. For nearly nine decades, no subsequent records of the plant existed, leading to concerns that it might have gone extinct.
In a one-year baseline inventory of the vascular flora of Wenshan National Nature Reserve in southeastern Yunnan, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Boanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have rediscovered Cardamine cheotaiyienii since its 1940 collection.
"This rediscovery not only confirms the plant's continued existence but also allows us, for the first time, to document its complete morphology, including its fruit and seed characteristics," said TAN Yunhong of XTBG.
Cardamine cheotaiyienii has a complicated past. It was first described in 1986 as a variety of Hilliella alatipes before being transferred to the genus Cardamine and elevated to species rank in 1998. The species is distinguished by its creeping, stoloniferous rhizomes, basal trifoliolate leaves, and complete absence of leaves on its flowering stems.
The newly located population consists of fewer than 100 mature individuals, all confined to a single, short, shaded ravine alongside a small stream, at an elevation of approximately 1,530 meters. The plant grows among subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests, a habitat that is increasingly rare and vulnerable.
The researchers considered the conservation status of Cardamine cheotaiyienii as “Endangered”, according to the UCN Red List Criteria.
“While the extant population is protected within the Wenshan National Nature Reserve in Xichou County, the combination of a minute population size and strict microhabitat specialization renders the species intrinsically vulnerable,” said TAN Yunhong.
To ensure the long-term survival of this newly discovered species, the researchers call for immediate conservation measures. “We suggest expanding surveys in adjacent areas, regular monitoring of the existing population, and ex-situ conservation strategies such as seed banking and cultivation in botanical gardens,” said TAN Yunhong.
The rediscovered species was published in Phytotaxa.
Cardamine cheotaiyienii (Image by DING Hongbo)
Cardamine cheotaiyienii (Image by DING Hongbo)
Cardamine cheotaiyienii (Image by DING Hongbo)
Cardamine cheotaiyienii (Image by TDING Hongbo)
