Sinoseris (Crepidinae, Cichorieae, Asteraceae), a new genus endemic to China of three species, two of them new to science

Abstract

Elucidating the systematic position of two Chinese species described originally as Lactuca hirsuta and L. scandens, of which only historical specimens from the late 19th and early 20th century were known, field work confirmed the occurrence of three different species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of these species based on sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region uncovered a hitherto unknown lineage in a phylogenetic backbone of the subtribe Crepidinae of the sunflower family tribe Cichorieae. Substantiated by comparative morphological studies, this lineage is described as genus new to science, named Sinoseris, endemic to the Chinese provinces Sichuan and Yunnan. Two of its three species are new to science, while the third is conspecific with both L. hirsuta and L. scandens.