Scutellaria albovillosa Y. P. Zeng, 2025

Zeng, You-Pai, Xu, Ye-Chun & Chen, Guo-Di, 2025, Taxonomic studies on Scutellaria (Lamiaceae) from China (I): two new species from southwestern Guangdong province, Phytotaxa 711 (2), pp. 157-169 : 158-163

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.711.2.6
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16715072
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/ED45878D-9830-B95F-FF1F-FD47E7C04FCA
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Scutellaria albovillosa Y. P. Zeng
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

1. Scutellaria albovillosa Y. P. Zeng , sp. nov. Figs. 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 .

Type:— CHINA. Guangdong province: Yangchun city, Kongdongyan Scenic Spot , 111.7383796°E, 22.1881208°N, on limestone slopes, 50 m a.s.l., 18 March 2023, Y. P. Zeng 604 (holotype IBSC; isotype IBSC) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis:— Scutellaria albovillosa is similar to S. wongkei ( Figs. 4 View FIGURE 4 , 5 View FIGURE 5 ) in habit and in having leaves and bracts crenate at the margin and bluish or lilac flowers, but differs by its long (ca. 0.5 mm vs. ca. 0.2 mm) and erect (vs. upwardly curved) hairs on the stem and rachis ( Figs. 2B, C View FIGURE 2 , 4B View FIGURE 4 , 5D View FIGURE 5 ), cordate (vs. broadly cuneate to rounded) leaf base ( Figs. 2D View FIGURE 2 , 4B View FIGURE 4 , 5D View FIGURE 5 ), strongly saccate (with a ca. 0.8 mm long sac vs. slightly saccate) corolla tube base ( Figs. 2F View FIGURE 2 , 4D View FIGURE 4 , 5B View FIGURE 5 ), and middle lobe of lower lip of corolla dark purple spotted (vs. whitish) ( Figs. 2F, H View FIGURE 2 , 5B, D View FIGURE 5 ). A detailed comparison between the two species is given in Table 1.

Description:—Perennial herb. Roots fibrous. Stems erect, woody at the base, 20–60 cm tall, much branched, densely glandular villose, hairs erect, ca. 0.5 mm long. Leaf blades ovate, 0.4–1.5 cm long, 0.3–1.4 cm broad, papery, densely glandular villose, base cordate, apex obtuse, margin 3–5-crenate; petioles 2–5 mm long. Inflorescence on branchlets, racemose, few-flowered; bracts leaflike and gradually reduced as subentire; pedicel 1.5–2 mm long, densely glandular villose. Calyx ca. 2 mm long in flower, ca. 3.5 mm in fruit, densely glandular villose outside; scutellum ca. 1.3 mm long in flower, ca. 2 mm long in fruit. Corolla whitish lilac or bluish purple, 1.4–1.6 cm long, glandular pilose outside, sparsely pilose on lip inside; tube suberect, base strongly saccate, to 4 mm broad at throat; middle lobe of lower lip dark purple spotted, circular-ovate, apex slightly emarginate; lateral lobes ovate. Stamens 4, in two pairs, one pair ca. 4 mm long, the other pair ca. 8 mm long; filament villose at base. Ovary 4-parted, subglobose, smooth. Style ca. 1.5 cm long, glabrous. Nutlets chestnut to dark brown when dry, ovoid, ca. 1.2 mm in diam., tuberculate, adaxially umbonate near base.

Distribution and habitat: Scutellaria albovillosa is currently known only from its type locality, i.e. Yangchun city in southwestern Guangdong province, China ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ). It grows on limestone slopes at an elevation of 50 m a.s.l.

Phenology:—Flowering from March to April.

Etymology:—The specific epithet refers to the white long hairs on the plant body of the new species.

Vernacular name:— Hƚffẓ, bai mao huang qin in Chinese Pinyin.

Conservation status:— Scutellaria albovillosa is currently known only from its type locality, Yangchun city. Only approximately 20 individuals were discovered in this population, which is situated the Kongdongyan Scenic Spot, and thus are quite vulnerable to human activities. Yangchun city is an area not yet well botanized, and we do not know if more populations of this new species can be discovered in the future. The distribution and other information of this species are far from adequate to make a precise and accurate assessment of its risk of endangerment. Thus, given that newly described species are attributed to very different IUCN (2024) categories, ranging from the highest threat category, i.e. CR ( El Zein & Bottcher 2024), to not threatened, i.e. categories NT ( Perrino et al. 2018) and LC ( Siti-Munirah & Dome 2023), the conservation status of this species should be previously considered as “Data Deficient (DD)” and further investigation on this species is required for its proper assessment ( IUCN 2024).