<i>Parasenecio pentaphyllaria</i> (Asteraceae: Senecioneae), a new species of <i>Parasenecio</i> from Korea

Abstract

Parasenecio pentaphylla, a new species of the genus Parasenecio from Mt. Ilwol-san, Ilwol-myeon, Yeongyang-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea, is described and illustrated here. In Korea, this species has been recognized as P. adenostyloides, known to be a Japanese endemic species. However, it is clearly distinguished from P. adenostyloides by its involucre shape, the number of phyllaries, the number of florets per capitulum, and the ratio of the tube length to the throat length. A molecular phylogenetic analysis using the Internal Transcribed Spacer region also clearly indicated that P. pentaphyllaria was genetically distinct from P. adenostyloides. Therefore, it is recognized as an independent species, different from P. adenostyloides. The specific epithet “pentaphyllaria” was given based on its characteristic of having five phyllaries.