Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a new species from Guangxi, China

Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a new species from Guangxi, China | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Nordic Journal of Botany This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 14 February 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a new species from Guangxi, China Authors : Yong-Hua Qin , Rainer Bussmann 0000-0002-3524-5273 , Man Li , Yong-Yan Liang , Wang-Hui Wu , and Shengxiang YU 0000-0002-5823-2870 [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173954366.61952877/v1 Published Nordic Journal of Botany Version of record Peer review timeline 368 views 248 downloads Contents Abstract Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract The species Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a small shrub, is newly described and illustrated from karst areas of Guangxi Autonomous Region, China. This species is similar to Euonymus dielsianus but is readily distinguished by its smaller leaves, obovate or elliptic-obovate, 2-2.5 × 5-6 cm (vs. 4.5-6 × 9-15 cm), blade margin crenulate, serrulate to serrate (vs. margin proximal 1/5-2/5 entire, distal 3/5-4/5 crenulate, serrulate to serrate, sometimes ciliate), reddish flowers and petals (vs. flowers and petals green, light yellow, or greenish yellow), short petiole, milk white seeds (vs. dark brown), and aril bright red partial covering seed (vs. aril bright red covering seed wholly). Phylogenetic study also revealed apparent phylogenetic position of the new species among Euonymus species, and the relationships between related species have also been discussed. Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a new species from Guangxi, China Abstract The species Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a small shrub, is newly described and illustrated from karst areas of Guangxi Autonomous Region, China. This species is similar to Euonymus dielsianus but is readily distinguished by its smaller leaves, obovate or elliptic-obovate, 2-2.5 × 5-6 cm (vs. 4.5-6 × 9-15 cm), blade margin crenulate, serrulate to serrate (vs. margin proximal 1/5-2/5 entire, distal 3/5-4/5 crenulate, serrulate to serrate, sometimes ciliate), reddish flowers and petals (vs. flowers and petals green, light yellow, or greenish yellow), short petiole, milk white seeds (vs. dark brown), and aril bright red partial covering seed (vs. aril bright red covering seed wholly). Phylogenetic study also revealed apparent phylogenetic position of the new species among Euonymus species, and the relationships between related species have also been discussed. Key words: Celastraceae, Critically Endangered, karst areas, morphology, phylogenetic, taxonomy Introduction The family Celastraceae contains about 60 genera with more than 850 species, and most of these species distributed in tropic, subtropic and temperate areas, with limited species radiated into cold temperate zone (Ma 2001, Ma et al. 2008, Li et al. 2014). The tribe Euonymeae is the majority of the family, containing eight genera with about 230 species in both the Old and New Worlds (Loesener 1942; Simmons et al. 1999, 2001, 2012). Tribe Euonymeae has been defined as those genera of Celastraceae with generally opposite leaves, isomerous carpels, loculicidally dehiscent capsules, and arillate seeds (Simmons et al. 2012). Phylogenetic studies on tribe Euonymeae indicate that the tribe consists of at least six separate lineages within Celastraceae and that a revised natural classification of the family is needed (Simmons et al. 2012). Furthermore, Euonymus is the most diverse (129 species) and widely cultivated genus in the tribe, and its current intrageneric classifications of Euonymus are not completely natural and require revision (Simmons et al. 2012, Li et al. 2014). Euonymus L. is a worldwide distributed plant group, with a total of about 130 species worldwide (Li 2014). It originated in Europe, and now most species are widely distributed in Southeast Asia, with China as the center of diversity, and a few species are distributed in the Americas, Australia and Africa (Simmons et al. 2012, Li 2014). Due to the wide distribution area of the genus, the ecological environment factors such as geography and climate change greatly, resulting in abundant morphological variation within the genus. Although many study works are published, there are still many problems in the system and classification of Euonymus (Li 2014), which have also resulted in diversity inventory of the genus remaining ambiguous and some new species published recently (Li et al. 2024, Savinov et al. 2024). In recent years, we have carried out multiple intermittent field expeditions in the northwestern regions of Guangxi, where is biodiversity hotspot of China and currently being prepared for the Southwest Karst National Park (Myers et al. 2000, Hou et al. 2010), we document a distinct Euonymus species. After careful study morphological characteristics and molecular evidence with its related species, we find the species is a new species of Euonymus to science. Material and methods The morphological characteristics have been scrutinized in accordance with local flora (Cheng and Huang 1999, Mu 2012, Meng 2010). Herbarium specimens from PE, IBK, and GXMI herbarium were also carefully examined. We included DNA sequences of 48 species of Euonymus . All sequences were downloaded from GenBank, except E. duanensis which was generated for this study. Vouchers and GenBank accession numbers are listed in Table S1. Three regions were used for DNA sequencing: psb A- trn H, rp 136- inf A- rps 8, and trn C- ycf 6. The protocol of total DNA extracting, Sequences alignment, and phylogenetic tree reconstruction are followed by previous studies (Yu et al. 2016, Qin et al. 2023, Xue et al. 2024, Yang et al. 2023). Results and discussion Euonymus duanensis Y.H. Qin, W.H. Wu & S.X. Yu, sp. nov. (Fig. 1, 2, 3) Diagnosis A species is similar to Euonymus dielsianus in evergreen shrub, but distinguished by its smaller leaves, 2-2.5 × 5-6 cm, blade margin crenulate, serrulate to serrate, reddish flowers and petals (vs. flowers and petals green, light yellow, or greenish yellow), short petiole, milk white seeds (vs. dark brown), and aril bright red partial covering seed (vs. aril bright red covering seed wholly). Type: CHINA. Guangxi Autonomous Region: Du’an County, Yong’an Town, An’Lan village, summit of karst hills., 850 m a.s.l., 22.86°N, 108.22°E, 5th, Jul. 2020, Yonghua Qin YH2020103 (holotype: PE, isotype: IBK). Eponymy : The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, where karst mountains is prevalence with high species diversity and endemism. Description : Evergreen shrubs, 1.5-4 m tall; branches terete, young branches and twigs ridge, green or brown when dry. Leaves opposite; petiole sturdy, short, less than 0.5 cm; leaf blade leathery or thickly leathery, obovate or elliptic-obovate, occasionally elliptic, 2-2.5 × 5-6 cm, base cuneate or attenuate, margin crenulate, serrulate to serrate, apex acute, acuminate, sometimes obtuse; lateral veins 5-6 pairs, inapparent, obscure to clear, curving forward, netting and disappearing before reaching margin. Cymes single, axillary; peduncle slender, 2-3 cm, dichotomously branched with 3 flowers; pedicel 7-9 mm. Flowers 4-merous, 5-6 mm in diam.; sepals broad ovate, small, greenish; petals reddish, ovate, top obtuse, ca. 1.9 × 2.1 mm. Capsule greenish when fresh, reddish when dry, 4-lobed, 1.2-1.5 cm in diam., sometimes only 2 or 3 lobes developed, lobes ovoid. Seeds milky white; aril bright red partial covering seed. Phenology: Euonymus duanensis has been observed to flower from April to July, and to fruit from July to November. Distribution, habitat, and ecology : Euonymus duanensis confined to the summits of karst mountains with the local vegetation belonging to southern subtropical evergreen broadleaf forests, at 850 m a.s.l. The species is only known from several summits of karst mountains nearby in Du’an County, Guangxi Autonomous Region, China (Fig. 3). IUCN red list assessment Euonymus duanensis is known from several karst summits of the type locality, with an estimated extent of occurrence of 10 km 2 . In accordance with the IUCN (2022), the above-mentioned area corresponds to a single location. There are approximately 300-500 individuals counted at this site. The occurrence and the habitat of the new species are subjected to various anthropogenic disturbances. So, the species is assessed as Critically Endangered (CR) under the criteria B1ab(i)+C2a(i). Taxonomic relationships : Euonymus duanensis is similar to Euonymus dielsianus but is easily distinguished by its smaller leaves and reddish flowers. Further diagnostic morphological characters of the new species and two related species are presented in Table 1. Traditionally Euonymus was divided into 5 sections in accordance with fruit characteristics (Cheng and Huang 1999), however, recently phylogenetic study showed that only two sections (sect. Kalonymus and sect. Echinococcus ) were supported as monophyly, and the relationships of other sections remains ambiguous (Li 2014, Li et al. 2014). Our phylogenetic results also confirmed the complex relationship of the genus and found species from different sections mixed (Fig. 4). For example, in morphology the new species, Euonymus duanensis, is similar to Euonymus dielsianus, however, the two species do not form sister relationships on our phylogenetic tree. On the contrary, Euonymus verrucosus and Euonymus verrucosoides formed a sister relationship first, and subsequently form sister relationship with Euonymus duanensis. So, we employed two related species during the discussion of the new species and its related species in morphological characters to distinguish the new species more clearly (Table 1). Due to the complexity of the relationship between species of Euonymus, much more extensively sampling representativeness and molecular data are needed to further reveal the phylogenetic relationship of the genus in the future. Vernacular name: Euonymus duanensis is called Du’an weimao in Mandarin Chinese, which translates to ‘du’an Euonymus ’. Additional specimens examined (paratypes): CHINA. Guangxi Autonomous Region, Du’an County, Yong’an Town, An’lan village, in summit bushes of karst mountains, 850 m a.s.l., 108.22°N, 22.86°E, 17 Jule 2018, Yonghua Qin YH2018001 (PE, IBK); CHINA. Guangxi Autonomous Region, Du’an County, Yong’an Town, An’lan village, in summit bushes of karst mountains, 850 m a.s.l., 108.22°N, 22.86°E, 11 Augest 2018, Yonghua Qin YH2018005 (PE, IBK). Data availability statement There is no additional data for this paper. References Cheng, J. R. and Huang, P. H. 1999. Euonymus L. In: Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae. – Beijing: Science Press. 45(3): 1–86. Hou, M. F., López-Pujol, J., Qin, H. N., Wang, L. S. and Liu, Y. 2010. Distribution pattern and conservation priorities for vascular plants in southern China: Guangxi Province as a case study. – Bot. Stud. 51: 377–386. IUCN. 2022. Guidelines for using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 15.1. – Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. Downloadable from http://www.iucnredlist.org/ documents/RedListGuidelines.pdf. (Accessed on July 2022). Li, Y. N., Xie, L., Li, J. Y. and Zhang Z. X. 2014. Phylogeny of Euonymus inferred from molecular and morphological data. – J. Syst. Evol. 52 (2): 149–160. Loesener, T. 1942. Celastraceae. In: Engler, A., Harms, H., Mattfeld, J. 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Phylogeny of Impatiens (Balsaminaceae): integrating molecular and morphological evidence into a new classification. – Cladistics. 32: 179–197. Table 1. Morphological comparison of Euonymus duanensis , E. dielsianus , and E. verrucosoides . Habit Evergreen small shrubs Evergreen woody vines Deciduous shrubs Blades Asymmetrical, oblong–obovate or oblanceolate, 5-6 × 2-2.5 cm Symmetrical, oblong–obovate or lanceolate, 5–26 × 1.5–7 cm Blade papery, ovate- elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 3.5-4(-9) × 1.5-2(-3.5) cm Margin Crenulate, serrulate to serrate Partial entire and partial crenulate, serrulate to serrate Finely and sharply serrulate Veins Lateral veins 5-6 pairs Lateral veins 6-8 pairs Lateral veins 7-10 pairs Flower size 5-6 mm in diam Ca. 6 mm in diam 7-8 mm in diam. Flower color Reddish Green, light yellow, or greenish yellow Greenish pink to pinkish red Capsule 1.2-1.5 cm in diam 1.8-2.4 cm in diam 1.3-1.5(-2) cm in diam Seed Covered reddish aril partly Covered reddish aril wholly Covered reddish aril wholly Phenology Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Jul-Nov. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Sep-Nov. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct. Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 14 February 2025 Peer review timeline Published Nordic Journal of Botany Version of Record 13 Aug 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Collection Nordic Journal of Botany Keywords celastraceae critically endangered karst areas morphology phylogenetic taxonomy Authors Affiliations Yong-Hua Qin View all articles by this author Rainer Bussmann 0000-0002-3524-5273 Ilia State University View all articles by this author Man Li Guangxi Forestry Inventory and Planning Institute View all articles by this author Yong-Yan Liang View all articles by this author Wang-Hui Wu Guangxi Forestry Inventory and Planning Institute View all articles by this author Shengxiang YU 0000-0002-5823-2870 [email protected] Institute of Botany Chinese Academy of Sciences View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 368 views 248 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Yong-Hua Qin, Rainer Bussmann, Man Li, et al. Euonymus duanensis (Celastraceae), a new species from Guangxi, China. Authorea . 14 February 2025. 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