Bot. Bull. Acad. Sin. (1999) 40: 53_60

Peng and Leu — Novelities in Asteraceae of Taiwan

Novelties in Asteraceae of Taiwan: Blumea linearis and

Senecio tarokoensis

Ching-I Peng1 and Wen-Pen Leu

Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica, Nankang, Taipei 115, Taiwan

(Received October 23, 1998; Accepted December 4, 1998)

Abstract. Two new species of Asteraceae, Blumea linearis C.-I Peng & W. P. Leu and Senecio tarokoensis C.-I Peng, from Taiwan are described and illustrated. Senecio tarokoensis is very rare, presently known only from three populations on semishaded to open, moist rocky ridges and cliff faces in the limestone mountains of Taroko National Park, ca. 1,000_2,000 m, in eastern Taiwan. It is a very distinct member of sect. Flexicaulis C. Jeffrey & Y. L. Chen. Although it is somewhat similar to S. fukienensis Ling ex C. Jeffrey & Y. L. Chen of southeastern China, it differs in having simple stems, triangularly ovate to lanceolate lower and middle cauline leaves (vs. oblong-elliptic or narrowly so), long petiole (vs. leaves auriculate and amplexicaul), and ray florets more numerous (8_12 vs. 7_8) with much longer corollas (15_17 mm vs. 7.5_9.5 mm). Blumea linearis, also endemic to Taiwan, is sporadic from sea level to 700 m mainly in the eastern half of Taiwan. It is a member of sect. Macrophyllae DC. and is somewhat similar to B. lanceolaria, but differs in having rugose and herbaceous (vs. smooth and somewhat succulent), linear to linear-lanceolate (vs. oblong to oblanceolate), narrower (2.5_3.5 cm vs. 4_8 cm wide) leaves, which are green and pilose to short-villous (vs. dark green and glabrous) on the upper surface and lack the small auricles on the leaf bases and petioles.

Keywords: Asteraceae; Blumea linearis; Limestone flora; New species; Rare species; Senecio tarokoensis; Taiwan; Taxonomy.

In the course of the botanical inventory of Taiwan, two Asteraceae species heretofore unknown to science were discovered and are described below.

1. Blumea linearis C.-I Peng & W. P. Leu, sp. nov. —TYPE: Taiwan, Taipei Hsien, Juifang, above hiking entrance of Chintzupei, along cement road at margin of disturbed broadleaf forest, ca. 300 m, 121°50'00" E, 25°05'30" N, associated with Histiopteris incisa, Miscanthus, Rubus, Mallotus, Blastus, Ficus and Schefflera and many tall tree ferns. Common locally. 21 Apr 1993, C.-I Peng 15410 (holotype: HAST; isotypes: A, CAS, HAST, KUN, MO, PE). Figure 1

A sect. Macrophyllae pertiens, ad Blumea lanceolariam similis, sed in laminis rugosis herbaceis (haud glabris aliquantum succulentis) linearis vel lineari-lanceolatis (haud oblongis vel oblanceolatis) angustioribus (2.3_3.5 cm, vs 4_8 cm latis), paginis superioribus viridibus, pilosis vel breviter villosis (haud atroviridibus, glabris), et basi vel in petiolis auriculis parvis haud praeditis, differt.

Subshrubs to 1.5_2.5(_4) m tall. Stems striate, center hollow, base woody, 1.5_2.5(_10) cm in diam.,

puberulous or sometimes glabrate; main stems usually simple or 2_4-branched from middle. Leaves herbaceous, rugose, linear to linear-lanceolate, 25_38 cm long, 2.5_3.5 cm wide, apex acute, base attenuate into a short petiole, margins remotely doubly serrate, pilose to short-villous (sometimes nearly glabrous), glandular punctate on both surfaces, veins 24_30 pairs. Heads numerous, pedunculate, terminal and axillary, in a pyramidal panicle to 50 cm long, 30 cm wide. Involucre globose-campanulate, bracts in 3 or 4 imbricate series; outer ones shorter, linear-lanceolate, 1_3 mm long, ca. 0.3 mm wide, compressed, abaxially with numerous sessile glands and multicellular hairs; inner ones linear-lanceolate, 8_10 mm long, ca. 1 mm wide, margins scarious, margins and apices ciliate. Receptacle convex, 1.5_2 mm across, alveolate, sparsely pilose. Central florets yellowish, 6_7 mm long; lobes 5, triangular, with sessile glands and sparse multicellular hairs. Outer florets ca. 6 mm long, 2 or 3 lobed, glabrous. Achenes pale brown, oblong-terete, 1.1_1.3 mm long, ca. 0.3 mm in diam., pilose, 10-ribbed. Pappus pale brown to yellowish white, ca. 5_6 mm long. Flowering Mar_May; fruiting Apr_May.

Additional specimens examined. TAIWAN. TAIPEI HSIEN: Wulai Hsiang, en route from Hsiaoyi to Tunghou. Disturbed broadleaf forest and Cryptomeria plantation, 400_500 m, 12 Feb 1992, Leu 1682 (sterile, HAST). HUALIEN HSIEN: Taroko National Park, en route from

1Corresponding author. Fax: 886-2-2782-7954; E-mail: bopeng@gate.sinica.edu.tw


Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Vol. 40, 1999

Figure 1. Blumea linearis. 1, Upper flowering stem; 2, Lower stem; 3, Portion of stem; 4, Leaf; 5, Portion of leaf, showing remotely doubly serrate margin; 6, Head, longitudinal section; 7, Involucral bracts; 8, Outer floret; 9, Central floret; 10, Stamens; 11, Achene; 12, Achene, pappus removed.


Peng and Leu — Novelities in Asteraceae of Taiwan

Tali to Tatung, ca. 850 m, Chen 164 (sterile, HAST). Juishui Hsiang, Fuyuan Village, Butterfly Valley, 200_280 m, 4 Jul 1988, Peng 11670 (sterile, HAST); Hsiulin Hsiang, logging road beside Paipaohsi (a river), from Pingho to Yuanlaonaoshan, ca. 200 m alt., 21 Jul 1992, Leu 1441 (HAST); Wanjung Hsiang, at road mileage sign 17 km on Wanjung Forest Road, sunny roadside, bordering Miscanthus stands, ca. 700 m alt., 3 Apr 1996, Kao 414 (flowering, HAST). TAITUNG HSIEN: Lanyu Is., Tungching, 14 Feb 1981, Chang 15625 (flower buds, HAST); Lanyu Is., Langtao village, along coastal highway, 7 Apr 1983, Huang et al. 9301 (flowering, TAI); Lanyu Is., Langtao village, along paved road, at margin of dwarf coastal monsoon forest, 10 May 1984, Peng 6763 (fruiting, HAST); 14 Apr 1985, Peng 7640 (flowering, HAST).

Distribution and notes. Endemic; sporadic from sea level to 700 m mainly in eastern half of Taiwan; margins of coastal forests, along road cuts through forests, at borders of Cryptomeria plantations and on river banks. Considering the huge inflorescence with the enormous quantities of achenes B. linearis produces, it is surprising that it is not more widespread in Taiwan (Figure 2).

Blumea linearis is a member of sect. Macrophyllae DC. It is somewhat similar to B. lanceolaria (Figure 3), but differs in the rugose, herbaceous (vs. smooth and somewhat succulent leaves), linear to linear-lanceolate (vs. oblong to oblanceolate), narrower leaves (2.5_3.5 cm vs. 4_8 cm wide), which are green and pilose to short

villous (vs. dark green and glabrous) on the upper surface, and in lacking small auricles on the leaf base and petioles. Blumea DC., a genus of ca. 49 (Randeria, 1960)_100 (Bremer, 1994) species, is distributed mainly in tropical Asia, with some species also in Australia and Africa. In Taiwan it is represented by twelve taxa, which can be distinguished by the following key.

Key to Taxa of Blumea in Taiwan

1. Plants scandent; heads 10_15 mm across B. riparia var. megacephala

1. Plants erect herbs or subshrubs; heads 3_6 mm across.

2. Involucre glandular hairy only; involucral bracts recurved at tips B. aromatica

2. Involucre both glandular hairy and villous; involucral bracts appressed or ascending.

3. Leaves distinctly petiolate; lobes of disc corollas purplish or pink B. mollis

3. Leaves sessile or subsessile; corollas yellow or rarely pinkish.

4. Leaves laciniate B. laciniata

4. Leaves dentate or doubly serrate.

5. Leaf base or petiole with small auricles.

6. Plants nearly glabrous; leaves herbaceous, upper surface dark green; receptacle woolly B. lanceolaria

6. Plants densely wooly-villous, leaves subcoriaceous, upper surface pale green; receptacle glabrous B. balsamifera

5. Leaf base and petiole without auricles.

7. Plants 1.5_3 m tall; leaves 30_45 cm long.

8. Leaves linear to linear-lanceolate, 2.5_3.5 cm wide B. linearis

8. Leaves obovate or lanceolate, 10_15 cm wide B. conspicua

7. Plants less than 1.5 m tall; leaves less than 25 cm long.

9. Center of receptacle pubescent B. oblongifolia

9. Center of receptacle glabrous.

10. Heads nearly sessile, densely aggregated in a compact spicate panicle B. hieracifolia

10. Heads pedunculate, in a loose panicle.

11. Leaves oblong or broadly lanceolate, margins serrulate; achenes hairy and with sessile glands.. B. formosana

11. Leaves oblanceolate, margins doubly serrate; achenes sparsely hirsute, eglandular. B. lacera

Figure 2. Distribution of Blumea linearis (dots) and Senecio tarokoensis (stars) in Taiwan.


Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Vol. 40, 1999

Figure 3. Blumea lanceolaria. 1, Habit; 2, Portion of stem; 3, Leaf; 4, Portion of leaf; 5, Portion of a flowering branch; 6, Head, longitudinal section; 7, Involucral bracts; 8, Outer floret; 9, Central floret; 10, Stamens; 11, Achene; 12, Achene, pappus removed.


Peng and Leu — Novelities in Asteraceae of Taiwan

2. Senecio tarokoensis C.-I Peng, sp. nov. — TYPE: Taiwan, Hualien Hsien, Hsiulin Hsiang, Taroko National Park, terminus of the cable way at the beginning of Yenhai Forest Road. Windy, rocky ridges with dense herbaceous and scrub vegetation, such as Photinia serratifolia, Rhamnus parvifolia, Sageretia tea, Ligustrum morrisonense, Rhaphiolepis indica, Spiraea tarokoensis, Aster hispidus, Dendranthema morii, Euphrasia tarokoana, Euphorbia tarokoensis, Galium tarokoense, Bletilla formosana, Ponerorchis taiwanensis, ca. 1,150 m, 121°31'11" E, 24°09'51" N, 4 May 1993, C.-I Peng 15456 (holotype: HAST; isotypes: A, CAS, E, F, HAST, K, KUN, KYO, MAK, MO, NY, PE, TAIF, TEX, TNM, TNS, TUS). Figure 4

Species propria haec S. fukienensis affinis sed in cauli simplicibus, foliis triangulari-lanceolatibus (vs oblongo-ellipticis vel anguste oblongo-ellipticis), petiolis elongatibus (vs foliis auriculatis amplexicaulis), floribus radii pluribus (8_12 vs. 7_8), corollae longiore (15_17 mm vs. 7.5_9.5 mm), differt.

Perennial herbs with short rhizomes. Stems simple, ascending, striate, 15_75 cm tall, green, glabrous or nearly glabrous apically, purplish green to dark purple and increasingly densely villous toward base. Leaves dark green on upper surface, dark purple to greenish purple on lower surface, thick chartaceous to subcoriaceous, highly variable in shape, lateral veins 3_5-pairs. Lower and middle cauline leaves triangular-ovate or lanceolate, 3_9 cm long, 2_5 cm wide, lower surface villous, upper surface nearly glabrous, apex acute-mucronate, base obtuse, truncate or cordate, margins mucronate-serrate, dentate, coarsely dentate or cleft, sometimes with 1 or 2 distinct, ovate or obovate basal appendages; petiole 3_8 cm long, villous. Upper cauline leaves lanceolate, linear-lanceolate to linear, (3_)4_8 cm long, (0.3_)1_2 cm wide, apex acute to acuminate, base obtuse to attenuate, margins mucronate, subentire, remotely dentate or irregularly lobed, petiole 1_2 cm long, or leaves near base of inflorescence subsessile, villous. Heads 3_3.5 cm across, bracteate, solitary, or to ca. 20 in loose corymbs; peduncle 2.5_6(_12) cm long, slender, nearly glabrous to sparingly puberulous, bracteate; bracteoles 2_5, remote, ascending, linear, 1_4.5 mm long. Involucre cylindrical, ca. 8 mm long, 5_6 mm across; bracts 2-seriate; outer bracts calyculate, 4 or 5, linear, 3_3.5 mm long, 0.3_0.5 mm wide; inner bracts green, tinged purple at apex, ca. 20, subequal, lance-linear, 6.5_8 mm long, 1.2_1.5 mm wide, apex acuminate, base obtuse, margins membranaceous, 1-nerved, glabrous to sparsely pubescent. Ray florets 8_12, corolla yellow, ca. 15_17 mm long, ligules 10_12 mm long, 4-veined, tube ca. 5 mm long; disc florets ca. 40, yellow, funnelform, ca. 6.5 mm long, apically papillose, otherwise glabrous, limb 3.3_3.5 mm long, tube 3_3.2 mm long, 5-lobed, lobes ca. 1.3_1.5 mm long, 0.7_0.8 mm wide, acute. Anthers 1.8_2.2 mm long, obtuse at base, filaments ca. 1.8 mm long; appendages ovate, apex obtuse, ca. 0.25 mm long; anther collars slightly dilated at base, 0.3 mm long. Style branches ca. 1.2 mm long, apex trun

cate, papillate. Achenes brownish, cylindrical, slightly narrowed at both ends, 3_4 mm long, 0.6_0.8 mm thick, minutely appressed hairy; pappus white, in 1 series, 4_5.5 mm long. Flowering Mar_Jun.

Additional specimens examined. TAIWAN. HUALIEN HSIEN: Hsiulin Hsiang, Taroko National Park, exposed windy, rocky mountain summit, facing a valley, at terminus of a cable way at the beginning of Yenhai Forest Road, abundant locally but not found elsewhere along the road, elev. ca. 1,050_1,200 m, 27 Jan 1989, Peng 12410 (sterile, HAST; flowering specimen pressed from greenhouse grown plants, 31 Mar 1989, HAST), 2 Nov 1989, Peng 13071 (sterile, HAST), 24 Jul 1990, Peng 13303 (sterile, HAST); along Shakatang Forest Road from entrance of Chingshuishan to Tatung, in broadleaf forest, lower part of a steep cliff, 900_1,500 m alt., 3 Jun 1993, Leu 1809 (flowering, HAST); Luanshan railway, near 3rd cableway, 1,900 m alt., by railway on rock cliff in bare limestone habitat, lithophytic with some dripping water, roots in mosses and soil, in mid-humid, open, sunny environment, 31 Mar 1995, Moore 18012 (sterile, HAST).

Distribution and notes. Endemic and rare, known only from metamorphosed limestone mountains in Taroko National Park in eastern Taiwan (Figure 2), on semishaded to open rocky ridges with abundant herbaceous and dwarf scrub vegetation, ca. 1,000_2,000 m alt. Taroko National Park is noted for harboring many endemic species, some of which have become known to science only recently, such as Buxus microphylla subsp. sinica var. tarokoensis (Yang and Lu, 1993), Elaeagnus tarokoensis (Lu and Yang, 1993), Berberis tarokoensis (Lu and Yang, 1996), Lysimachia chingshuiensis (Peng and Hu, 1999), Gentiana tarokoensis (Chen and Wang, 1999). A thorough botanical inventory of the less accessible mountains within this limestone national park may add more species to the rich flora of Taiwan.

Senecio tarokoensis is a distinct member of sect. Flexicaulis C. Jeffrey & Y. L. Chen. It is somewhat similar to S. fukienensis Ling ex C. Jeffrey & Y. L. Chen of southern China, but differs in its simple stems, triangular-ovate to lanceolate lower and middle cauline leaves (vs. oblong-elliptic or narrowly so), long petiole (vs. auriculate and amplexicaul leaves) and ray florets more numerous (8_12 vs. 7_8) with much longer corollas (15_17 mm vs. 7.5_9.5 mm). It is also the largest flowered species of Senecio in Taiwan.

The following key is provided to aid in the identification of the eight taxa of Senecio indigenous to Taiwan. I have excluded Senecio formosanus Kitam., S. integrifolius (L.) Clairv. var. spathulifolius (Miq.) Hara ("spathulatus") and S. taitoensis Hayata, which were previously listed in Flora of Taiwan (Li, 1978) and are now recognized as Nemosenecio formosanus (Kitam.) B. Nord., Tephroseris kirilowii (Turcz. ex DC.) Holub, and Tephroseris taitoensis (Hayata) Holub, respectively (Jeffrey and Chen, 1984).


Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Vol. 40, 1999

Figure 4. Senecio tarokoensis. 1, Lower stem; 2, Leaf; 3, Upper flowering stem and branches; 4, Head, longitudinal section; 5, Inner involucral bracts; 6, Outer bracteoles; 7, Ray floret; 8, Disc floret; 9, Disc floret, corolla and pappus removed; 10, Stamens; 11, Style branches; 12, Pappus bristle; 13, Achene.


Peng and Leu — Novelities in Asteraceae of Taiwan

Key to Taxa of Senecio in Taiwan

1. Plants annual with fibrous roots; heads discoid S. vulgaris

1. Plants perennial with rootstocks; heads radiate.

2. Leaves mainly radical, rosulate, persistent at anthesis; flowering stems scape-like, with bracteate leaves S. taitungensis

2. Leaves cauline, radical leaves usually withered at anthesis; flowering stems terminal and/or axillary; heads not on a scape-like flowering stem.

3. Leaves thick chartaceous to subcoriaceous, petiole 3_8 cm long; peduncle 2.5_6(_12) cm long; ray florets 8_12 S. tarokoensis

3. Leaves chartaceous, petiole 0_2 cm long; peduncle 0.5_2(_3) cm long; ray florets 5_8.

4. Stems erect; leaves linear, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate.

5. Leaves bipinnately, pinnately, lyrately or runcinately lobed S. morrisonensis

5. Leaves dentate..S. nemorensis var. dentatus

4. Stems weakly erect or scandent; leaves triangular or narrowly so.

6. Stems weakly erect, ascending to nearly scandent, 10_60 cm tall; leaves 1_4 cm long; heads (1_)3_10 in lax corymbs at apex of stems and branches S. crataegifolius

6. Stems scandent, 2_5 m tall; leaves 4_10 cm long; heads many, in large axillary paniculate corymbs.

7. Leaves subentire to dentate, unlobed and without small lateral lobes at base S. scandens var. scandens

7. Leaves pinnatifid, or with a large terminal lobe and several lateral lobes at base S. scandens var. incisus

Acknowledgments. We thank David E. Boufford and B. Bartholomew for useful comments on the manuscript; K. N. Gandhi, Peter F. Stevens and German Carnevali for assistance with the Latin diagnoses; Kuo-Fang Chung for technical assistance; and Taroko National Park, Taiwan for collect permit. This study was supported in part by research grants from the National Science Council and the Council of Agriculture, Taiwan to Ching-I Peng.

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