Koenigia hedbergii (Polygonaceae: Persicarieae), a distinct new species from Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Central China

Scientists have identified and described Koenigia hedbergii, a new species of plant belonging to the Polygonaceae family, found in the Shennongjia National Nature Reserve in central China. This discovery is significant as it distinguishes itself from related species like K. nepalensis and K. pilosa through unique morphological traits such as lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate leaves with 6–11 pairs of lateral veins, undulate margins, glabrous ocreae with sparse puberulence at the bases, and sharply trigonous achenes with pronounced keeled edges. The study also provides detailed observations of the Koenigia-type pollen grains of this new species, contributing to our understanding of its taxonomic placement.

LI, B., CHEN, S., LI, Y., WANG, D.-X., & DU, W. (2016). Koenigia hedbergii (Polygonaceae: Persicarieae), a distinct new species from Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Central China. Phytotaxa, 272(2). https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.272.2.2