Vicia liupanshanensis Xiao Wei Li & Bo Yang sp. nov.

Description.

Herb perennial, 50–150 cm tall, stem erect, climbing, covered with fine soft hairs or nearly glabrous. Leaves even-pinnate, 8–15 cm; branched tendrils presented at apex with 3 or 4 branches; stipules semi-sagittate, 8–10 mm; leaflets 7–9 pairs, alternate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptical, 17–25 × 6–9 mm, papery, apex obtuse or acuminate, distinctly mucronate, base rounded or broadly cuneate, upper surface sparsely covered with short and soft hairs, lower surface covered with short hairs with veins densely hairy; veins prominent and raised on lower surface, petiolule ca. 1 mm. Inflorescence a raceme, about the same length as leaves, 8–15 cm long, with – 15 flowers; bracts 5–7 mm × 4–5 mm, rhombic, covered with short and soft hairs. Flowers secund, slightly drooping, ca. 1 cm in length, pedicel ca. 1 mm; calyx obliquely campanulate, hairy; lobes 5, lanceolate, 1–3 mm long; corolla pale greenish-white at first, gradually turning yellow-brown, dark yellow or dark orange; standard ovate, ca. 8–10 mm × 4–5 mm, with a broad claw at base, concave at apex, margins constricted in the middle; wings nearly equal in length to the standard, obliquely ovate, auriculated, with a claw 4–5 mm at base; keels ca. 7–9 mm long, apex blunt, shortly auriculated. Ovary linear, glabrous 4–5 ovulued; the style hairy towards upper part; stigma capitate. Pods oblong, 20–30 × 4–5 mm. Seeds 3–5 × 3.5–4 mm, oblate-spheroid, brown, with black speckles. Flowering and fruiting June – August. Figs 1, 3, 4.

Type.

Jingyuan of Ningxia, forest edge (35.3809, 106.3284; 1972.91 m a. s. l.), June 28 th 2024, Yang Bo NXLPS-0628011 (holotype: PE).

Etymology.

The species epithet derives from the name of the mountain range (Liupanshan) where this species was discovered.

Vernacular name.

The Chinese name is ‘ 六盘山野豌豆’ (Liù Pán Shān Yě Wān Dòu)

Distribution and habitat.

Vicia liupanshanensis occurs only at elevations of 1900–2300 m, in Laolongtan, Daxue Mountains, and Migang Mountains in Jingyuan Countyand Longde County, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Zhuanglang County, Gansu Province, in China. It is generally found in alpine scrubs and hillside grasslands. (Fig. 2).

Conservation assessment.

According to our preliminary conservation assessment, Vicia liupanshanensis is predominantly found in the Liupanshan National Nature Reserve within the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. Only four populations have been identified (so far), the rest are sporadic, whose total estimated number of mature individuals does not exceed 1000. Hence, based on the IUCN criteria (IUCN 2024), V. liupanshanensis is here classified as Vulnerable (VU).