While studying diversity of the family Gesneriaceae in Vietnam, botanists from Vietnam National Museum of Nature, Vietnam Academy of Science & Technology, Bac Giang Agriculture and Forestry University, Ha Long University, Hanoi National University, Vietnam, and Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region and Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, discovered and described a new plant species, namely Oreocharis phuongii T.V.Do (Gesneriaceae).
The new species is most similar to O. longifolia by sharing peduncles up to 22 cm long, bracts 2, zygomorphic, yellow flowers with tubular corolla, stamens 4 with two pairs of coherent anthers and capsules up to 6 cm long. It mainly differs from the latter by the combination of some morphological characters of leaves (shape, base, apex and margin), size of calyx lobes, indumentum of corolla tube and inner surface of three lower corolla lobes.
The new species was discovered from Thua Thien Hue-Quang Tri limestone mountain ranges in central Vietnam. The result was published on PhytoKeys 193: 45-53.
Figure: Morphological characters of Oreocharis phuongii (Photos by Do Van Truong)
News: Do Van Truong, Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST