Monday, April 20, 2020

A new plant: Hanceola suffruticosa

The family Lamiaceae is commonly known as the mint or sage family. Many of the plants are aromatic in all parts and include widely used herbs such as basil, rosemary, sage, oregano, thyme, and lavender. The family is rather large with about 7000 species and the genus Hanceola is fairly small with eight known species. These species are only known from evergreen forests in Southern China. The new species was found in the same region but also in Vietnam and differs from all other Hanceola species by having a base that is woody and does not die down each year. This trait is called suffrutescent and was used to derive the name of the new species.

For the experts: Hanceola is a genus of eight herbaceous species previously thought to be endemic to southern China. However, H. suffruticosa, a new species described here from China and Vietnam, differs from all other species of Hanceola by its subshrubby habit. It is also distinct in its shallowly bicrenate laminae and densely purplish glandular puberulent inflorescences. The morphological description, illustrations, and distribution of the new species are presented. A key to all species of Hanceola is also provided.

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