Xuelin Chen

Doronicum micranthum (Asteraceae, Senecioneae), a new species from Hui County and Liangdang County in southeastern Gansu Province, China, is described and illustrated. This species is closely related to D. stenoglossum Maxim. and D. conaense Y.L.Chen, with which it shares the following characters: the ray florets are equal to or shorter than the involucre, and the small capitula are arranged in racemes at the stem apex. It differs by having swollen (vs. not swollen) rhizomes, smaller capitula (0.5–1.4 vs. 2–2.5 cm in diameter), and all florets’ achenes that are glabrous and lack a pappus (vs. achenes in all florets puberulent, pappus present, or glabrous and without pappus in ray florets, densely pubescent and bearing a pappus in disk florets).

Allium zhouquense Z.F.Bai & Xue L.Chen (Amaryllidaceae) is described and illustrated from Gansu Province, China. It resembles both A. plurifoliatum and A. paepalanthoides, but it is identified by its 2-angled scape; by its shortly strigose leaf edge, leaf sheaths, and midvein; by its pedicels 6–8 times the length of perianth; and by its stamens with a pair of teeth on both its outer and inner filaments.

We describe the newly-discovered species Illicium gansuense (Schisandraceae), discovered in the Yuhe area of Giant Panda National Park, Gansu, China. Morphologically, I. gansuense resembles I. ternstroemioides and I. arborescens. However, the new species can be distinguished by its smaller leaf size, the larger number of tepals, tepal margin ciliate, and distinct flowering and fruiting seasons.