Researchers from Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have announced the discovery of a new species of Sinocrassula, a genus of succulents, in Cuona City, Xizang Autonomous Region, China. The finding, published in the latest issue of the journal PhytoKeys, marks a significant addition to our understanding of plant biodiversity in the region.

During a field investigation in August 2023, researchers were captivated by a special Sinocrassula with distinct fleshy, and near-cylindrical basal leaves. A follow-up expedition in October 2024 confirmed the presence of another population of this Sinocrassula. Comprehensive specimens were collected for further identification, with living materials also cultivated at the greenhouse of Wuhan Botanical Garden for careful observations.

Supervised by Prof. WANG Qingfeng, Asst. Prof. WEI Neng et al. carried out comprehensive morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses upon this Sinocrassula. After sufficient literature review, specimens examinations, detailed morphological comparisons, as well as robust phylogenetic support, this species was finally confirmed to be new to science. The discovery is formally described in the paper "Sinocrassula cuonaensis  (Crassulaceae), a new succulent species from southern Xizang, China".

This new species has been named Sinocrassula cuonaensis, with the species epithet "cuonaensis" derived from Cuona City, the location of this new species. The new species is most similar to S. indica var. viridiflava, S. densirosulata, and S. jiaozishanensis, but differs by its rosulate, thick, and near-cylindrical basal leaves; greenish white flowers; and sub-rectangular nectar scales. 

The discovery of this new species not only enriches the floristic records in the regions, but also provides valuable materials for studying the biogeography of Sinocrassula.

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Key Research and Development Program of China, the Support Programme to Plant Taxonomists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as the Key R&D Program of Yunnan Province.

The plate of Sinocrassula cuonaensis (Image by WBG)

The phylogenetic tree of Sinocrassula based on combined molecular data of ITS, rbcL, matK, psbA-trnH, and trnL-trnF (Image by WBG)