Homostylium albescens var. limprichtii (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

1.7. Homostylium albescens var. limprichtii (Diels) Z. X. Fu comb. nov.

≡ Aster limprichtii Diels , Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. Beih. 12: 503. 1922. ≡ Aster albescens var. limprichtii (Diels) Hand. - Mazz. , Acta Horti Gothob. 12: 206. 1938. ≡ Sinosidus albescens var. limprichtii (Diels) G. L. Nesom , Phytoneuron 2020-64: 13. 2020. Type: China, Sichuan, Batang-Litang, alt. 3400 m, 21 August 1914, H. W. Limpricht 2226 (lectotype, designated here, WRSL S 07-7760!; isolectotypes, A 00003820!, PE no. 32347!, WU 0061126!) (Suppl. material 1: figs S 13 – S 16).

Type.

China • Sichuan, Batang-Litang , alt. 3400 m, 21 August 1914, H. W. Limpricht 2226 (lectotype, designated here, WRSL S 07-7760 !; isolectotypes, A 00003820 !, PE no. 32347!, WU 0061126 !) (Suppl. material 1: figs S 13 – S 16) .

Diagnosis.

Leaves elliptic or oblong, 3–7 × 1–3 cm, abaxially densely white or gray-white tomentose or cottony, base broadly cuneate or rounded. Phyllaries outer ovate, sparsely tomentose. The main differences from the type variety include leaves elliptic or oblong, base broadly cuneate or rounded, apex obtuse, abaxially densely tomentose or cottony, white to gray-white.

Distribution.

China, W and NW Sichuan (Songpan, Maoxian, Lixian, Kangding, Heishui, Hanyuan), Xizang, and W Gansu (Xigu, Longnan). 2400–3100 m.

Habitat.

Temperate biome and subalpine.

Etymology.

The varietal name “ limprichtii ” is derived from the name of German botanist and teacher Hans Wolfgang Limpricht, with the Latin eponymic suffix “ - ii ”. The variety was likely named in honor of Mr. Limpricht, the collector of the type specimens.

Specimens examined.

China • Gansu: Longnan , T. P. Wang 14702 ( PE 00274842 , PE 00274845 ), 15235 ( PE), 15212 ( PE) ; • Sichuan: Heishui , X. Li & J. X. Zhou 73734 ( PE) ; Kangding , H. Smith 13414 ( PE) ; Maoxian , C. Ho & Z. L. Zhou 12984 ( PE) ; Songpan , T. P. Wang 7760 ( PE) ; Hanyuan , T. P. Wang 8706 ( PE) ; Jiuzhaigou , P. Q. Li 149 ( PE) , H. Smith 10355 ( PE) ; Batang-Litang , H. W. Limpricht 2226 ( WRSL S 07-7760 , A 00003820 , PE no. 32347, WU 0061126 ) ; • Xizang: Zayü , Qinghai-Tibet Exped. 161 ( PE 00274856 , PE 00274857 ) , Z. C. Ni et al. 195 ( PE 00274677 , PE 00274678 ) .

Notes.

Nesom (2020 g) only provided the type specimen information with collection locality, collector, and collection number (Xizang, Limpricht 2226) for this variety, without specifying an exact specimen number. According to the protologue, the holotype specimen number for Homostylium albescens var. limprichtii was not seen. A careful search was conducted at the PE Herbarium. Forty-three specimens of this variety were found, but still no holotype was designated. Among them, the specimen WRSL S 07-7760 (H. W. Limpricht 2226) (Suppl. material 1: figs S 13 – S 16) closely matched the illustration in the original publication. Therefore, this specimen was designated as the lectotype of this variety. The duplicate specimens (syntypes) from the same collections were then treated as isolectotypes.