Oreocharis xieyongii, an unusual new species of Gesneriaceae from western Hunan, China.

A new species, Oreocharis xieyongii T. Deng, D.G. Zhang & H. Sun, from Hunan Province, central China, is described. The combination of purple zygomorphic corolla with longer adaxial lobes and exserted stamens defines the species and discriminates it from all other current Oreocharis species. Morphological traits of the new species were compared to those of two similar species, Oreocharis xiangguiensis and O. rubrostriata. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the new species is nested within the Oreocharis. Although only half of Oreocharis species were included in our study, evolutionary character analysis indicates that the ancestral states of the genus are likely the purple corolla, longer abaxial lip and inserted stamens. The longer adaxial lip is perhaps an apomorphy and only present in O. xieyongii and O. rubrostriata. Both morphological and molecular evidence suggest that O. xieyongii is a taxon new to science.

The complete chloroplast genome of Actinidia rubus (Actinidiaceae).

A complete chloroplast genome of Actinidia rubus, an endemic shrub in China, was sequenced and identified. The length of genome is 156,573 bp, and the GC content is 37.3%. This genome contains a large single copy (LSC; 88,473 bp) region, a small single copy (SSC; 20,492) region, a pair of inverted repeat (IR; 23,804) regions. A total of 113 unique genes were identified, including 78 protein-coding genes, 31 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis based on complete chloroplast genome of 10 species showed that Actintdia eriantha was sister to A. rubus.

The complete chloroplast genome of Soroseris umbrella (Asteraceae).

Soroseris umbrella is an alpine medical plant that is distributed in the alpine screes of China, Bhutan, and India. Here, we identified the complete chloroplast genome of S. umbrella. The complete genome size is 152,462 bp, which consists of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 84,125 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 18,561 bp, a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions of 24,888 bp each. The overall GC content of genome is 37.7%. A total of 114 unique genes were identified, including 80 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The phylogenetic analysis based on whole chloroplast genome result shows that S. umbrella is most closely related to Taraxacum.

Strobilanthes sunhangii (Acanthaceae), a new species from Tibet, China.

A new species of Acanthaceae, Strobilanthes sunhangii, is described from Mêdog County, Tibet, China. Morphologically, the new species is closely similar to S. medogensis and S. divaricata, but S. sunhangii differs in having glabrous stems, longer spikes, glabrous rachis, double curved corolla and glabrous calyx, different stamens and style.

Geum sunhangii (Rosaceae), a new species from Hubei Province, China.

Geum sunhangii - first discovered in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China - is described as a new species of Rosaceae. Compared to all known Chinese Geum species, the new species differs by possessing jointed styles, imbricate petals and a reniform radical leaf terminal leaflet. Most significantly, the jointed style is curved at an obtuse or a right angle. In addition, the inclusion of this species within the genus Geum was supported by phylogenetic analysis using the sequence data of a nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) and a chloroplast trnL-trnF intergenic spacer. The new species was found to be closely related to G. rivale and G. aleppicum.

Oxytropis shennongjiaensis (Fabaceae), a new species from Hubei, Central China.

Here we describe Oxytropis shennongjiaensis, a new species of Fabaceae from Central China (Hubei Province). Morphologically, O. shennongjiaensis is closely similar to O. sitaipaiensis, O. melanocalyx and O. kansuensis, but differs in stem characters, with less conspicuous internodes; persistent herbaceous stipules; pale yellow to white corolla; and stipitate legumes, 3-5 mm with a long beak. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and two chloroplast markers (trnL-F and psbA-trnH), also identified O. shennongjiaensis as a new species, which is consistent with our morphological analyses. Considering the morphological data and phylogenetic data presented here, we believe that this evidence satisfies the required diagnostic criteria to identify O. shennongjiaensis as a new species.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Cornus sunhangii (Cornaceae).

Cornus sunhangii is a newly discovered species of Cornaceae and is endemic to Tibet, China. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of C. sunhangii is described. The length of the chloroplast genome is 157,446 bp. The genome has quadripartite structure, which includes a large single-copy (LSC) region (86,861 bp), a small single-copy (SSC) region (18,331 bp), and a pair of inverted repeat (IR) regions (26,127 bp each). The complete chloroplast genome contains a total of 113 unique genes, of which 79 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes.