In the mountains of China, they found a plant that no one had ever seen before
Scientists from the Wuhan Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered and described a new species of plant from the Crassulaceae family, Sinocrassula cuonaensis.
The novelty flora was found in Tsuon County, Tibet Autonomous Region. Details of the study are published in the scientific journal PhytoKeys.
The first meeting with an unusual succulent occurred in August 2023 during field work. The plant immediately attracted the attention of experts fleshy, almost cylindrical root leaves. A repeat expedition in October 2024 confirmed the existence of another population in the same region. Herbarium specimens and live plants were collected and are now being grown in greenhouses for further observations.
To be sure of the uniqueness of the find, the team conducted morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses, compared the plant with known species and reviewed scientific literature. The results confirmed that the species in front of them was new to science.
The name Sinocrassula cuonaensis reflects the geographical origin of the plant - it was found in Cuona County. Morphologically, the new species differs from three related representatives of the genus: S. indica var. viridiflava, S. densirosulata and S. jiaozishanensis. It is characterised by the following features:
rosette-shaped plant,
thick, almost cylindrical root leaves,
greenish-white flowers and
almost rectangular nectar scales.
In addition, the researchers noted that Sinocrassula cuonaensis grows on rocky slopes in deep valleys, which may indicate its adaptation to harsh mountain conditions.
The discovery of the new species not only adds to the flora of the Tibet Autonomous Region, but also opens new perspectives for studying the biogeography of the genus Sinocrassula, the authors of the study emphasise.