Alliumheterophyllum (Amaryllidaceae), a new species from Henan, China.

Alliumheterophyllum D.F.Xie & X.J.He, sp. nov. (Amaryllidaceae), is a new species from Henan, China and is described based on morphological and molecular evidence. It is morphologically most similar to A.dumebuchum in the rhomboid scape in cross-section. However, distinctive differences were detected in perianth color, leaf shape and cross-section, flowers' density as well as flowering season. Similarly, the karyotype of A.heterophyllum is 2 n = 2 x = 16 and in A.dumebuchum is 2 n = 4 x = 32. Phylogenetic analysis based on nuclear ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacers (ITS) and three cpDNA regions strongly supports that A.heterophyllum is a member of Allium section Rhizirideum and sister to the other species of this section (e.g. A.senescens , A.spirale , and A.prostratum ). Currently, only one population and approximately 120 individuals were discovered; the development of scenic spots in this region may affect its growth and threaten this population. Therefore, this new species is preliminarily considered as Near Threatened (NT) according to criteria of the IUCN Red List.
(Deng-Feng Xie, Rui-Yu Cheng, Megan Price, Jun-Pei Chen, Jia-Qing Lei, Yi-Yang Zhang, Xing-Jin He.)