Sedum Peltatum (crassulaceae): a New Species from Anhui, China

Sedum peltatum M.L. Chen et X.H. Cao, belonging to the family Crassulaceae DC., is described and illustrated from China as a new species. It was collected from Nanwu canyon, Huangnikeng valley, Gaokeng valley and Qingshikeng valley in the Jiulong Mountains, China (P. R.). Morphological diagnostic characters of closely related species are also discussed. Introduction Sedum L. is the largest and most widespread genus of the family Crassulaceae DC., comprising ca. 420 species and constituting one third of the family diversity (Thiede and Eggli 2007). Consisting of annual and perennial herbs with succulent leaves and stems, this genus is primarily distributed in arid environments in temperate to subtropical regions, with highest diversity in the Himalayas, East Asia, Central America and the Mediterranean (Stephenson 1994, Thiede and Eggli 2007, Ito et al. 2017). Approximately 121 species (91 endemics) belonging to three sections are found in China; namely, sect. Filipes S.H. Fu, sect. Oreades K.T. Fu and sect. Sedum S.H. Fu (Fu and Ohba 2001). Sect. Sedum comprises more than 60 species and is distributed mainly in Asia, with 49 species (34 endemics) in China (Wu et al. 2013). Key to the species: 1. Leaf axils with viviparous buds or a sterile shoot 2 Leaf axils without viviparous buds or a sterile shoot Sedum alfredii 2. Leaf axils with a long sterile shoot 3 Leaf axils with viviparous buds Sedum viviparum 3. Sterile shoots arising from the base, as long as the flowering shoots; sterile shoots without branches Sedum subtile Sterile shoots arising from the base or leaf axils on the stem, white, more than twice as long and half as thick as the flowering shoots; sterile shoots with 1-2 branches Sedum peltatum Sedum peltatum M.L. Chen et X.H. Cao, sp. nov. (Figs 1, 2 & 3) Diagnosis: Similar to S. subtile, but differs in having thinner, much longer, white stolon-like sterile stems with one or two round, verticillate, nearly rotund or oblanceolate linear leaves usually clustered at the apex. Sedum peltatum est morphologia similes S. subtili, sed dissimile habendo tenuum, album, quasi-stolon (interpretatio anglice) sterilem stolonem cum verticillatis et paene rotundis frondibus saepe circumglobatis apice, et uno duobusve frondulis. *Author for correspondence: .