Homostylium albescens var. harrowianum (Diels) Z. X. Fu, 2025

Chen, Xinyu & Fu, Zhixi, 2025, Resurrection of the genus Homostylium Nees for the former Aster ser. Albescentes Y. Ling (Astereae, Asteraceae), with an updated generic synopsis, PhytoKeys 259, pp. 27-66 : 27-66

1.6. Homostylium albescens var. harrowianum (Diels) Z. X. Fu comb. nov.

= Aster harrowianus Diels , Not. Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb. 15: 183. 1912. Type: China, Yunnan, Dali, Moist, rocky situations, side valleys on the eastern flank of the Tali Range, lat. 25 ' 40 ° N, alt. 10000–11000 ft, Sept. 1906, G. Forrest 4004 (holotype, E 00385622!) (Suppl. material 1: fig. S 10).

= Aster harrowianus var. glabratus Diels , Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 5: 184. 1912. Type: China. Yunnan, Lijiang, shady, rocky situations, side valleys on the eastern flank, Lat. 27 ' 15 ° N, alt. 9500–11000 ft, July 1906, G. Forrest 2508 (holotype, E 00385621!; isotype, P 00711686!) (Suppl. material 1: figs S 5, S 6).

≡ Aster limprichtii var. gracilior Hand. - Mazz. , Symb. Sin. 7: 1093. 1936. ≡ Aster albescens var. gracilior (Hand. - Mazz.) Hand. - Mazz. , Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 206. 1938. ≡ Sinosidus albescens var. gracilior (Hand. - Mazz.) G. L. Nesom , Phytoneuron 2020-64: 13. 2020. Type: China, Sichuan, Muli, alt. 2800 m, 31 July 1915, Hand. - Mazz. 7350 (holotype, WU 0061122!; isotype, A 00003821!) (Suppl. material 1: figs S 11, S 12).

Type.

China • Sichuan, Muli , alt. 2800 m, 31 July 1915, Hand. - Mazz. 7350 (holotype, WU 0061122 !; isotype, A 00003821 !) (Suppl. material 1: figs S 11, S 12) .

Diagnosis.

Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, 7–20 × 1–5 cm, abaxially densely white or gray-white tomentose or cottony, base attenuate, apex acuminate. Phyllaries outer oblong or lanceolate. The tomentose of this variety is the same as that of Homostylium albescens var. limprichtii , but its leaf shape is similar to that of H. albescens var. salignum .

Distribution.

China, W Sichuan (Jinchuan, Heishui, etc.), Chongqing (Wushan, Nanchuan, etc.), Guizhou, NW Yunnan (Dali), Gansu, and S Shaanxi.

Habitat.

Temperate biome and subalpine.

Etymology.

The varietal name “ harrowianum ” is derived from the name of Harrow, with the Latin neuter adjectival suffix “ - ianum ”, indicating possession or association. The variety was likely named in honor of Harrow, either the collector name or the place of collection in London, Britain.

Specimens examined.

China • Chongqing: Precise locality unknown, T. N. Liou 9842 (PE 00274690, PE 00274691); • Gansu: Wenxian, Z. Y. Zhang 14794 (PE); • Guizhou: Chishui, Bijie Exped. 1243 (PE 00274634, PE 00274635); Zunyi, Sichuan-Guizhou Exped. 1542 (PE 00274637, PE 00274638, PE 00274640); • Shaanxi: Mianxian, S. Jiang et al. 232 (PE), T. N. Liou & P. C. Tsoong 3411 (PE), • Sichuan: Xiangcheng, S. Jiang et al. 9611 (PE); Kangding, K. C. Kuan et al. 77 (PE 00274687, PE 00274688, PE 00274689); Lixian, C. L. Wu 33209 (PE), S. Jiang et al. 1958 (PE); Muli, Hand. - Mazz. 7350 (WU 0061122, A 00003821); • Yunnan: Dali, T. N. Liou 17471 (PE 00274716, PE 00274728), 17631 (PE), 20950 (PE), 21031 (PE), R. C. Ching 22719 (PE), H. C. Wang 770 (PE 00274659, PE 00274660), 865 (PE), 990 (PE), 1140 (PE 00274723, PE 00274725), 1144 (PE), 1450 (PE), 1458 (PE 00274717, PE 00274730), 1574 (PE 00274721, PE 00274727), 4302 (PE), 4404 (PE), H. T. Tsai 53877 (PE), G. Forrest 4004 (E 00385622); Lijiang, G. Forrest 2508 (E 00385621, P 00711686).

Notes.

The autonyms take priority over other variety names established simultaneously, as well as over other synonyms, according to Articles 11.6 of ICN ( Turland et al. 2018). Aster harrowianus var. harrowianus (1912), established alongside A. harrowianus var. glabratus (1912), takes precedence over A. limprichtii var. gracilior (1936) and A. albescens var. gracilior (1938). Accordingly, for this new combination, we adopted the varietal epithet “ harrowianus ” and adjusted it to the neuter form “ harrowianum ” to match the gender of Homostylium .