New species of Viola found in China's Guangdong

GUANGZHOU -- Chinese researchers have discovered a new Viola species, V. heyuanensis in South China's Guangdong province. The findings were published in the international academic journal Nordic Journal of Botany on Wednesday.

The new species was discovered by a joint research team from Sun Yat-sen University and Baixi provincial nature reserve in Zijin county, Heyuan city, Guangdong in February 2021.

V. heyuanensis is a perennial rhizomatous herb with aerial stems and stolons about 10 cm tall. There are no more than 100 mature individuals of V. heyuanensis found so far, according to Ye Qinliang, deputy director and senior engineer of the administration office of the reserve.

It was confirmed as a new species based on morphology and molecular phylogeny, said Ye.

Viola is the largest genus of Violaceae with more than 660 accepted species around the world, mainly distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. China is a primary center of morphological and taxonomic diversity of Viola with more than 100 native Viola species recorded in the country, according to Ye.