Rubuspuyumaensis, a new species of Rosaceae from Taiwan

Po-Hao Chen; Juinn-Yih Huang; An-Ching Chung

doi:10.3897/BDJ.12.e115431

Rubuspuyumaensis, a new species of Rosaceae from Taiwan

Biodivers Data J. 2024 Jan 25:12:e115431. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.12.e115431. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Po-Hao Chen^{1

2}, Juinn-Yih Huang³, An-Ching Chung^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Liouguei Research Center, Taiwan Forest Research Institute, Kaohsiung, Taiwan Liouguei Research Center, Taiwan Forest Research Institute Kaohsiung Taiwan.
² Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan Graduate Institute of Bioresources, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology Pingtung Taiwan.
³ Independent researcher, Taipei, Taiwan Independent researcher Taipei Taiwan.

Abstract

Background: The genus Rubus L. (Rosaceae), comprising approximately 750 species and classified into 12 subgenera, is distributed worldwide and is one of the largest plant genera. In Taiwan, Rubus comprises 41 taxa, including 35 species, three varieties and three hybrids. Amongst the genus Rubus, the species, previously recorded as R.howii in Taiwan, was misidentified and this study recognised it as a new species.

New information: Due to its distribution mainly in south-eastern Taiwan, we named this new species as Rubuspuyumaensis, after the local aborigine tribe Puyuma. Taxonomic descriptions and colour photographs of the new species are provided to assist in identification. R.puyumaensis is most similar to R.howii and R.refractus. They can be distinguished by the colour of young leaves, leaf shape, arrangement of florets, trichomes of inflorescences, size of sepal lobes, petal colour, types and trichomes of filaments and the length of stamens and pistils.

Keywords: Puyuma; R.refractus; Rubushowii; Taiwan; new taxon.

Po-Hao Chen, Juinn-Yih Huang, An-Ching Chung.