A NEW SPECIES OF POLYGONATUM MILL . ( ASPARAGACEAE ) FROM GUIZHOU

A new species Polygonatum sinopubescens from Yinjiang County, Guizhou Province, South-west China is described and illustrated. This species was found growing in evergreen broad-leaved forests or mixed needle-leaved and evergreen broad-leaved forests on slopes at altitudes of 870-930 m. It is related to Polygonatum filipes Merr. ex C. Jeffrey & Mc Ewan, but differs from the latter by pubescent stems, petiole, peduncle and pedicel, leaf blade shortly dense pubescent on abaxial surface, 2-3-flowered inflorescences and filaments 7-11 mm long. Introduction Polygonatum Mill. (Asparagaceae) comprises of ca. 60 species and distributed in temperate regions of the North hemisphere, mainly from the Himalayas to Japan having 39 species in China (Chen and Tamura, 2000). During our expeditions in Yinjiang County, northeast of Guizhou Province, southwest China in May 2014 and May 2015, we collected previously unknown specimens of Polygonatum from evergreen broad-leaved forests or mixed needle-leaved and evergreen broad-leaved forests on slopes at altitudes of 870-930 m above sea level, in latitude 27°36′50.6′′-27°57′28′′ N, and longitude 108°26′15′′-108°36′31.9′′ E. After critical examination of the specimens deposited at GZAC, HGAS, IBK, IBSC, KUN and PE, and carefully consulting relevant literature (Baker, 1875; Li, 1966; Tang, 1978; Chen and Liu, 1984; Tu, 1986; Liang, 1987; Wan and Gao, 1990; Zhu, 1992; Chen and Tamura, 2000; Fu et al., 2002), it was identified as a new species of Polygonatum. This paper describes and illustrates the new species as Polygonatum sinopubescens M. T. An, Yun Lin & J. G. Wang. Polygonatum sinopubescens M. T. An, Yun Lin & J. G. Wang, sp. nov. (Figs 1 & 2). Diagnosis: Polygonatum sinopubescens is morphologically similar to Polygonatum filipes Merr. ex C. Jeffrey & Mc Ewan based on moniliform or terete-moniliform rhizome, alternate leaves, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic leaf blade, very slender peduncle, 1.5-2.0 cm long perianth. However, it differs from the latter in stems pubescent, petiole pubescent, peduncle pubescent and pedicel pubescent (vs glabrous in P. filipes), leaf blade shortly dense pubescent on abaxial surface (vs shortly pubescent on abaxial veins in P. filipes), filaments 7-11 mm long (vs 4 mm long in P. filipes). Hunan Medication Vestibule School, Changsha 410208, Hunan, P. R. China. Corresponding author. Email: leoliny@foxmail.com Guizhou Normal College, Guiyang 550018, Guizhou, P. R. China. Yinjiang Forestry Bureau, Yinjiang 555200, Guizhou, P. R. China.


Introduction
Polygonatum Mill.(Asparagaceae) comprises of ca.60 species and distributed in temperate regions of the North hemisphere, mainly from the Himalayas to Japan having 39 species in China (Chen and Tamura, 2000).

Polygonatum sinopubescens
Phenology: Flowering from May to June, and fruiting from July to September.Etymology: Polygonatum sinopubescens is named after shortly dense pubescent on abaxial surface of leaf blade, and this species is from China.
Distribution: Polygonatum sinopubescens is only known from its type locality, Yangxi Nature Reserve, Yinjiang County, northeast Guizhou Province, southwest China.
Pharmaceutical value: In traditional Chinese medicine the rhizome is used to moisten the lung, nourish the kidney and invigorate the spleen.
A comparison between the new species Polygonatum sinopubescens and its closely related is appended in Table 1.
Conservation status: Polygonatum sinopubescens is known only from the type locality, comprises about 200 individuals growing in five populations within the nature reserve, and is therefore given the assessment of Data Deficient (DD) according toIUCN (2001)  criteria.