A neglected new species, Salvia tainingensis

Salvia is the largest genus of Lamiaceae, characterized by lever-like modified stamens, comprising approximately 1,000 species worldwide, with extensive radiation in Central and South America, Western Asia and Eastern Asia. High species diversity of Salvia has been recorded in China, and most of these species are endemic species. Early taxonomical revisions of Salvia were mainly based on morphological evidence, which resulted in the oversight of some new species within the genus. The application of molecular evidence and enhanced field investigation has provided new insights into understanding this complex group. Some overlooked species of Salvia, such as Salvia daiguii and Salvia glabrifolia, have been recently discovered, described and named.

Early in 2022, a species of Salvia with leathery leaves and golden yellow venation caught the attention of Yuan-Long Gao during a field expedition to the Zhuangyuanyan Scenic Area in Taining county, Fujian Province. Subsequently, he transplanted the plants to his own garden, made some observations, and suspected it might be a new species. For further identification, researchers from the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted a field survey in its habitat to observe and measure the traits of the species with the assistance of Yuan-Long Gao. Meanwhile, fresh leaves were sampled, specimens were collected, and living plants were transplanted. Based on evidence from morphology and molecular phylogeny, we recognized it as a new species and named it Salvia tainingensis after its type locality in Taining county. In addition to its type locality, this species has also been observed in the Jiangshi Provincial Nature Reserve in Shaowu County. Salvia tainingensis was previously identified as Salvia scapiformis. In fact, it is more morphologically similar to Salvia daiguii and Salvia glabrifolia. The thinly leathery leaves, serrate leaf margins, densely villous or glabrescent leaf abaxial, and the densely villous posterior lip allow us to easily distinguish Salvia tainingensis from the other three species. Salvia tainingensis has unique traits and high ornamental value, indicating its potential for use in landscaping.

The study titled " Salvia tainingensis, a neglected new species of Lamiaceae from Fujian Province, China" was published online in Phytotaxa. Dan Xie is the first author of this paper and Zu-Lin Ning is the corresponding author. This study was supported by the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province. The article link is: https://phytotaxa.mapress.com/pt/article/view/phytotaxa.669.2.7.

First author information: Dan Xie: Engineer, Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration on Plant Conservation and Utilization in Southern China, Souths, Research field: Taxonomy and biodiversity conservation, E-mail: xiedan@scbg.ac.cn.

Figure . Plate of living plants of Salvia tainingensis.