Biologists have described a new species of the genus Saussurea from the border area through Khunjerab between China and Pakistan. Saussurea is one of the largest genera of flowering plants in the Cardueae tribe in the Asteraceae family.
The discovery of this new species has been reported in a paper in the journal Phytotaxa which is an open access journal. The report can be found online under the title “Saussurea khunjerabensis (Asteraceae, Cardueae), a new species from Pamir.”
This genus includes at least 460 scientifically recognized species, native to the cold and arctic climates of East Asia, Europe, and North America, with the highest diversity in alpine habitats in the Himalayas and East Asia.
Plants that live in alpine habitats are usually specialized plants that can cope with very cold, windy and dry conditions.
Alpine plants grow in the tundra, a type of natural area or biome where there are no trees. Alpine tundra occurs in mountains around the world. It transitions to sub-alpine forest below the tree line, a stunted forest that occurs in the tundra forest ecotone known as Krummholz.
Alpine plants are not limited to higher elevations. However, the highland areas have a different ecology than those that grow at higher latitudes. One of the biggest differences is that the lower bound of tropical mountainous areas is difficult to determine due to a mix of human disturbance, arid climate, and naturally absent tree lines.
The new species is a member of a genus of herbaceous perennial plants, ranging from dwarf alpine species up to 5–10 cm (2–4 in) tall, to thistle-like plants up to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall.
This new species is called Saussurea khunjerabensis. That’s because this newly discovered species belongs to the subgenus Saussurea Eriocoryne. While the name khunjerabensis refers to the name of the place where it was found, namely khubjerab which is on the northern border of Pakistan and on the southwestern border of China.
“Saussurea khunjerabensis (Asteraceae, Cardueae), a new species from the Taxkorgan area, Xinjiang, China, (has) been described and illustrated,” the researchers wrote.
The new species is a member of a genus of herbaceous perennial plants, ranging from dwarf alpine species up to 5–10 cm (2–4 in) tall, to thistle-like plants up to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall.
This new species is called Saussurea khunjerabensis. That’s because this newly discovered species belongs to the subgenus Saussurea Eriocoryne. While the name khunjerabensis refers to the name of the place where it was found, namely khubjerab which is on the northern border of Pakistan and on the southwestern border of China.
“Saussurea khunjerabensis (Asteraceae, Cardueae), a new species from the Taxkorgan area, Xinjiang, China, (has) been described and illustrated,” the researchers wrote.