Sedum hengshanense (Crassulaceae), a new species from Hunan, central China

Abstract

Sedum hengshanense, a new species of Crassulaceae from central China, is described and illustrated. Morphological evidence supports its placement in Sedum sect. Sedum. The new species is morphologically similar to S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum, S. lineare, S. polytrichoides and S. morrisonense, but differs by its alternate phyllotaxy, leaf apex not twisted when young, papillate leaf margin, longer basal leaf spurs (1.0–1.4 mm long) with an acuminate apex, petals with the apex mucronate at the tip and broadly spatulate to subtrapezoid, obtuse-apexed nectar scales. Phylogenetic analysis recovers S. hengshanense as sister to the clade comprising S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum and S. lineare. The species is assessed as Vulnerable (VU) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.

Introduction

Sedum L., a member of the subfamily Sempervivoideae, is the largest genus in Crassulaceae, comprising approximately 490 accepted species (POWO 2026). It is widely distributed across all continents, except Antarctica, with major centres of diversity in the Euro–Mediterranean Region, West–Central Asia, East Asia and North America (particularly the USA and Mexico) (Thiede and Eggli 2007; POWO 2026). Species of Sedum are succulent herbs typically adapted to arid and/or rocky habitats (Thiede and Eggli 2007). Some species have ornamental value, such as S. acre and S. lineare, whereas others are used in traditional medicine, including S. sarmentosum and S. praealtum (Ma et al. 2017; Boriollo et al. 2020). In addition, several species, such as S. plumbizincicola, have a strong capacity for heavy metal accumulation and show potential for applications in soil remediation (Wang et al. 2023).

China harbours a rich diversity of Sedum. Recent studies indicate that around 148 species occur in China, including 118 endemics (Dai et al. 2025; Huang et al. 2025; Yi et al. 2025; She et al. 2026). Of these, 27 species have been described as new to science over the past two decades. These recent discoveries indicate that the diversity of Sedum species in China remains underestimated and that further taxonomic exploration is needed. In April 2024, we conducted a field survey in Hengshan Mountain, Hunan Province, China, where a previously unknown perennial caespitose Sedum species was discovered in flower. This species was clearly distinct from other Sedum species encountered at the site, including S. grammophyllum, S. sarmentosum, S. emarginatum, S. bulbiferum and S. alfredii. Over the following two years, successive field investigations were carried out to further document its distribution and morphological variation. Specimens were collected and living plants were transplanted to Wuhan Botanical Garden and Nanyue Arboretum of Hunan Province for detailed morphological examination. Based on comparative morphological studies and molecular phylogenetic analyses, the species is formally described as a new species, Sedum hengshanense.

Materials and methods

Morphological study

We conducted field surveys over two years in Hengshan Mountain, Hunan Province, to investigate the morphological variation, geographic distribution and phenology of the species in its natural habitat. Based on these observations, we collected voucher specimens and samples for molecular analyses during the flowering and fruiting periods. Additionally, detailed anatomical observations and video recordings of the flowers were made. Living plants were also collected and cultivated at Nanyue Arboretum of Hunan Province and Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, where the plants are currently thriving. Morphological characteristics were examined and photographed using a Zoom Stereo Microscope-TS-10W (PDV, China) and an EOS M5 Canon camera. The morphology of pollen and seed was analysed and photographed with a HITACHI TM3030 scanning electron microscope (SEM) (Hitachi, Ltd., Japan).

To evaluate whether the new species had previously been collected or overlooked, we examined Sedum specimens and specimen records available through the Chinese Virtual Herbarium (CVH), including specimens mainly deposited in PE, IBSC, KUN, NAS, WUK, LBG, SCFI and other herbaria in China. We also examined our own field collections deposited in HIB and PE. Morphological comparisons were made, based on field observations, cultivated plants, herbarium specimens and relevant taxonomic literature.

Molecular study

The nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region (ITS) was used for the phylogenetic analyses because it has been widely employed in phylogenetic studies of Sedum (Lu and Wang 2023; Chai et al. 2024; Yi et al. 2025; She et al. 2026). A total of 81 ITS sequences representing accessions within Crassulaceae were used to reconstruct phylogenetic trees and infer the phylogenetic position of the new species. Amongst these, two sequences of this newly-discovered species, obtained from samples collected from two populations on Hengshan Mountain, were newly generated in this study, whereas the remaining 79 sequences were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/). Of the 81 sequences included in the analysis, 79 represent taxa of Sedum, while Aeonium viscatum and Greenovia aizoon were selected as outgroups following Yi et al. (2025). Details of the materials, including their sources and GenBank accession numbers, are presented in Table 1.

Table 1.

Taxa included in this study with voucher information, GenBank accession numbers and references. Missing data are indicated with “–”.

Taxon	Voucher	Accession number	Reference
S. actinocarpum	Ito 1749	LC229265	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. alfredii	IBK194564	FJ919949	Wang and Shu unpublished
S. alfredii	IBK114924	FJ919951	Wang and Shu unpublished
S. arisanense	Ito 1842	LC229273	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. arisanense	Ito 1836	LC229272	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. baileyi	LBG0064555	FJ919935	Wang and Shu unpublished
S. bergeri	–	AY352897	Ni et al. unpublished
S. boninense	Ito 2371	LC229242	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. bulbiferum	Ito 416	LC229234	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. bulbiferum	130514hs41	KM111166	Xie et al. (2014)
S. bulbiferum	130524qz09	KM111165	Xie et al. (2014)
S. brachyrinchum var. brachyrinchum	Ito 1359	LC229274	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. danjoense	Ito 3658	LC260127	Ito et al. (2017b)
S. emarginatum	130512hs27	KM111145	Xie et al. (2014)
S. emarginatum	130529hz03	KM111146	Xie et al. (2014)
S. emarginatum	130503jz21	KM111147	Xie et al. (2014)
S. emarginatum	24041001	PP981038	Dai et al. (2025)
S. emarginatum	24052201	PP981037	Dai et al. (2025)
S. emarginatum	AYJT-Nanjing-0308-08	EU592006	–
S. erici-magnusii	Ito 2077	LC229235	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. erythrospermum	Tsutsumi 1504	AB906473	Ito et al. (2014b)
S. formosanum	Ito1115	LC530813	Ito et al. (2020)
S. formosanum	Ito2296	LC260124	Ito et al. (2017b)
S. hakonense	Mayuzumi C00005	AB088625	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
S. hangzhouense	Ito 2604	LC260130	Ito et al. (2017b)
S. hengshanense 1	QS16	PZ161008	This study
S. hengshanense 2	QS112	PZ161009	This study
S. japonicum	Kokubugata 16749	AB906475	Ito et al. (2014b)
S. japonicum var. oryzifolium	Ito 2285	LC229239	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. japonicum var. pumilum	Ito 2287	LC229240	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. japonicum var. senanense	Ito 2200	LC229238	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. jinglanii	Y. S. Huang 21040301	OP288035	Huang et al. (2023)
S. jinglanii	DNPC 2873	OQ162326	Huang et al. (2023)
S. jiulungshanense	Ito 76	LC229243	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. kiangnanense	CMQ1030	LC229244	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. lineare	Mayuzumi C00120	AB088623	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
S. lineare	TNS: Ito667	LC229245	Ito et al. (2017b)
S. lipingense	ZRB1479	MN150061	Zhang et al. (2019)
S. lungtsuanense	Ito 3563	LC260131	Ito et al. (2017b)
S. makinoi	Kokubugata 16730	AB906476	Ito et al. (2014b)
S. mexicanum	Ito 647	LC229247	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. microsepalum	Ito 2771	LC229282	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. microsepalum	Ito 1965	LC229281	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. morrisonense	Ito 2765	LC229290	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. morrisonense	Hornat S1	LM993281	Nikulin et al. (2016)
S. multicaule	Miyamoto et al. TI9596136	AB088631	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
S. nagasakianum	Ito 2064	LC229249	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. nokoense	Kokubugata 10426	AB906478	Ito et al. (2014b)
S. oligospermum	Ito 74	LC229250	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. oreades	Rao 090803-03	KF113733	Zhang et al. (2014)
S. spiralifolium	130425sc01	KM111158	Xie et al. (2014)
S. spiralifolium	130425sc02	KM111159	Xie et al. (2014)
S. spiralifolium	130423zy62	KM111163	Xie et al. (2014)
S. polytrichoides var. polytrichoides	CMQ1057	LC229251	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. polytrichoides var. setouchiense	Ito 2298	LC229253	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. rupifragum	Ito2070	LC229254	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. sarmentosum	130529lq03	KM111155	Xie et al. (2014)
S. sarmentosum	130511hs22	KM111156	Xie et al. (2014)
S. sarmentosum	130531la22	KM111157	Xie et al. (2014)
S. satumense	Ito 2295	LC229256	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. sekiteiense	Ito 1456	LC229295	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. simingshanense	–	PP464049	She et al. (2025)
S. simingshanense	–	PP464048	She et al. (2025)
S. subtile	Ito 624	AB930277	Ito et al. (2014a)
S. subtile	Shimizu 1999	AB088622	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
S. taiwanianum	Ito 2770	LC229297	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. taiwanianum	Ito 2770	LC229296	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. tetractinum	Ito 3623	LC260135	Ito et al. (2017b)
S. tianmushanense	Ito 355	LC229261	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. tosaense	Kokubugata 16726	AB906483	Ito et al. (2014b)
S. triactina	9596091	AB088629	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
S. tricarpum	Ito 2269	LC229259	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. tricarpum	–	PP989617	–
S. trullipetalum	Miyamoto et al. 9420132	AB088630	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
S. truncatistigmum	Ito 3254	LC229306	Ito et al. (2017a)
S. xunvense	–	PV101948	Chai et al. (2024)
S. xunvense	–	PV101947	Chai et al. (2024)
S. yabeanum	Ito 396	AB906490	Ito et al. (2014b)
S. zentaro-tashiroi	Ohba 1998	AB088619	Mayuzumi and Ohba (2004)
Aeonium viscatum	Mort 1432	AY082154	Mort et al. (2002)
Greenovia aizoon	Mort 1425	AY082112	Mort et al. (2002)

Fresh leaves from two individuals of S. hengshanense were dried in silica gel and total genomic DNA was extracted using a modified CTAB method (Doyle and Doyle 1987). DNA quality was checked by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. The ITS region was amplified with ITS1 and ITS4 primers (White et al. 1990), which have been commonly used in phylogenetic studies of Sedum (Huang et al. 2023; Ito et al. 2023; Yi et al. 2025). PCR amplification was performed following Ito et al. (2023) with minor modifications: 94°C for 3 min; 35 cycles of 94°C for 30 s, 50°C for 30 s and 72°C for 90 s; and a final extension at 72°C for 7 min. PCR products were checked on 1% agarose gels, purified and sequenced in both directions using the same primers. Forward and reverse reads were assembled and checked manually in Geneious Prime v.2025.0.3.

All ITS sequences were aligned using MAFFT v.7 (Katoh and Standley 2013) with default parameters and poorly-aligned regions were removed with trimAl (Capella-Gutiérrez et al. 2009). Alignments were then visually inspected and manually adjusted, when necessary, in Geneious Prime v.2025.0.3 (Kearse et al. 2012). Maximum-Likelihood (ML) analysis was conducted using IQ-TREE v.2.2.0. The best-fitting nucleotide substitution model was selected using ModelFinder according to the Bayesian information criterion (BIC; Kalyaanamoorthy et al. 2017) and SYM+I+G4 was selected as the optimal model. Branch support was assessed using 5,020 ultrafast bootstrap replicates. Bayesian-Inference (BI) analysis was conducted using MrBayes v.3.2.6 (Ronquist et al. 2012) under the GTR+I+G model. Two independent runs, each with four Markov chains, were conducted for 2,000,000 generations, with trees sampled every 1,000 generations. The first 25% of sampled trees were discarded as burn-in. Convergence was assessed by confirming that the average standard deviation of split frequencies was below 0.01 and that effective sample sizes (ESS) for all parameters exceeded 200. The resulting phylogenetic trees were visualised and annotated using the Interactive Tree of Life (iTOL; Letunic and Bork 2007).

Results

Morphological comparisons

The carpels and follicles of Sedum hengshanense are adaxially gibbous. According to the sectional circumscription of Fu and Ohba (2001), the species is, therefore, placed in Sedum sect. Sedum. The species is readily recognised by its alternate and imbricate leaves, a long basal leaf spur, leaf margins with conspicuous papillae and broadly spatulate to subtrapezoid nectar scales with obtuse apices.

Morphologically, S. hengshanense is similar to S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum, S. lineare, S. polytrichoides and S. morrisonense. Sedum hengshanense shares with S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum and S. lineare a perennial habit, the presence of a basal leaf spur, petals and nectar scales of comparable size and papillate seed surfaces. However, the new species differs from these species in a combination of leaf arrangement, leaf texture, leaf shape and size, the length and apex shape of the basal leaf spur, the presence of conspicuous papillae along the leaf margins and papillate sepal apices (Table 2). Sedum hengshanense also resembles S. polytrichoides and S. morrisonense in having erect flowering stems, alternate leaves and young leaves not twisted at the apex. However, it differs from both species in having papillate leaf margins, papillate sepal apices and petals with the apex mucronate at the tip. In addition, S. hengshanense differs from S. polytrichoides in having oblong-lanceolate rather than linear to linear-lanceolate leaves and longer basal leaf spurs (1.0–1.4 mm vs. ca. 0.8 mm). It differs from S. morrisonense in having oblong-lanceolate, thinner and narrower leaves rather than oblanceolate to linear-spatulate, thicker and broader leaves and longer basal leaf spurs with acuminate rather than obtuse apices (Table 2).

Table 2.

Comparison of S. hengshanense and its morphologically similar species. Missing data are indicated with “–”.

Character	S. hengshanense	S. spiralifolium	S. sarmentosum	S. lineare	S. polytrichoides	S. morrisonense
Flowering stem	Erect	Erect	Procumbent	Erect	Erect	Erect
Phyllotaxy	Alternate, imbricate	3-verticillate	3-verticillate	3(4)-verticillate	Alternate	Alternate, imbricate
Tender leaf	Not twisted at apex	Apex twisted	Not twisted at apex	Not twisted at apex	Not twisted at apex	Not twisted at apex
Leaf blade	Oblong-lanceolate	Linear-lanceolate	Oblanceolate to oblong	Linear	Linear to linear-lanceolate	Oblanceolate to linear-spatulate
Leaf margin	Papillate	Not papillate	Not papillate	Not papillate	Not papillate	Not papillate
Basal leaf spur	1.0–1.4 mm long, apex acuminate	1.0–1.6 mm long, mostly 3-lobed, middle tilted	Ca. 1 mm long, apex obtuse	Ca. 0.9–1.2 mm long, apex subacute	Ca. 0.8 mm long, apex obtuse to truncate	Ca. 0.5 mm long, apex obtuse
Leaf (length × width)	7–10 × 1.5–2.0 mm	10–25 × 2–3 mm	15–28 × 3–7 mm	10–15 × ca. 2 mm	5–11 × 1–2 mm	10–15 × 2.5–3 mm
Leaf thickness	Ca. 0.6 mm	Ca. 1 mm	Ca. 1.5 mm	Ca. 0.7 mm	Ca. 0.7 mm	Ca. 1 mm
Sepal	Papillate at apex	Not papillate at apex	Not papillate at apex	Not papillate at apex	Not papillate at apex	Not papillate at apex
Petal	5–6 × 1.2–1.5 mm, apex mucronate at the tip	4–7 × 1–2 mm, apex mucronate at the tip	5–8 × 1–2 mm, apex mucronate at the tip	4–6 × 1.0–1.5 mm, apex not mucronate at the tip	5–7 mm, apex not mucronate at the tip	4–6 × ca. 1.2 mm, apex not mucronate at the tip
Nectar scale	Broadly spatulate to subtrapezoid, apex obtuse	Nearly fan-shaped, apex obtuse	Cuneate-quadrangular, apex subemarginate	Broadly cuneate to subquadrangular, apex obtuse	Broadly rounded-cuneate, base cuneate, apex broadly rounded	Obovate
Nectar scale size	Ca. 0.5 × 0.3 mm	Ca. 0.5 × 0.2 mm	Ca. 0.5 × 0.5 mm	Ca. 0.5 × 0.5–0.6 mm	Ca. 0.3 × 0.3 mm	–
Flowering period	Apr–May	Apr	May–Jul	Apr–May	Jul–Aug	Jul–Aug

Molecular phylogenetic analyses

Based on the ITS dataset, we reconstructed both Maximum-Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian-Inference (BI) phylogenetic trees. The two analyses yielded largely congruent topologies and the branch support values (bootstrap support, BS) and posterior probabilities (PP) for each node are shown on the ML tree (Fig. 1). Sedum hengshanense forms a distinct lineage and is sister to the clade comprising S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum and S. lineare, with full support (BS = 100%, PP = 1). This molecular evidence further supports S. hengshanense as a distinct species.

Figure 1.

A. Maximum Likelihood phylogeny of Sedum hengshanense and its relatives inferred from ITS sequences, with the new species shown in bold red; B. The same tree as A showing branch lengths proportional to nucleotide substitutions per site.

Discussion

The recognition of Sedum hengshanense as a distinct species is supported by both morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidence. Although the species is morphologically similar to several related species, including S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum, S. lineare, S. polytrichoides and S. morrisonense, it can be consistently distinguished by a combination of diagnostic morphological characters (Table 2). These morphological differences were consistently observed across the examined populations and specimens. Furthermore, the ITS phylogeny recovered S. hengshanense as a distinct lineage that is sister to the clade comprising S. spiralifolium, S. sarmentosum and S. lineare, with strong support (Fig. 1). Together, these results provide complementary evidence for the recognition of S. hengshanense as a distinct species.

Morphologically, S. hengshanense is assignable to Sedum sect. Sedum sensu Fu and Ohba (2001), a section comprising more than 60 species, of which 49 are recorded from China. In recent years, approximately 20 new species assignable to this section have been described from East Asia, particularly China (Dai et al. 2025; Yi et al. 2025), indicating that the species diversity of this section remains incompletely documented. The discovery of S. hengshanense, therefore, further highlights the high taxonomic diversity of Sedum in East Asia and the need for continued field and taxonomic investigations in the region.

The ITS region was used in this study because sequence data are widely available for Sedum and the marker has been widely employed in phylogenetic studies of the genus. Its use also enabled relatively broad taxon sampling, based on sequences available in public databases. However, the use of a single molecular marker and limited intraspecific sampling, comprising one ITS sequence from each of two sampled populations, restricts our ability to assess population-level genetic variation and fine-scale phylogenetic relationships. Although the current ITS data support the inferred phylogenetic placement of S. hengshanense, broader population-level sampling encompassing all known populations, together with additional molecular markers, will be necessary to more comprehensively assess its infraspecific genetic diversity and phylogenetic coherence across its known range.

Taxonomic treatment

Sedum hengshanense

N.Wei, X.D.Qiu, J.L.Xia & Q.F.Wang sp. nov.

991343C9-9635-56D8-85BC-08752E956CC5

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77397020-1

Figs 2, 3

Figure 2.

Sedum hengshanense. A, B. Habitat on the open rocky slope; C. Habit in winter; D. Habit in spring; E, F. Mature plants at flowering stage; G. Mature plants under cultivation.

Figure 3.

Sedum hengshanense. A, B. Habit; C. Fertile stem; D. Stem and leaves; E. Leaves; F, G. Upper portion of the leaf blade (showing marginal papillae); H. Inflorescence; I. Flower (sepals removed; inset showing the mucronate apex of petal); J. Sepals (inset showing papillate sepal apices); K. A petal and the stamens; L. Pistil and nectar scales; M. Carpel; N. Nectar scale; O. Pollen; P. Fruit; Q. Seed (not well developed).

Chinese name.

衡山景天.

Type.

China • Hunan: Nanyue District, Hengshan Mountain, Zhurong Peak, alt. 1245 m, 27.293782, 112.694611, on a rocky slope, 28 Apr 2025, J.L.Xia QS112 (holotype: HIB!; isotype: PE!).

Diagnosis.

Sedum hengshanense is morphologically most similar to S. morrisonense, but differs in having papillate leaf margins (vs. non-papillate leaf margins), smaller and thinner leaves (7–10 × 1.5–2.0 mm, ca. 0.6 mm thick vs. leaves 10–15 × 2.5–3 mm, ca. 1 mm thick), longer basal leaf spurs (1.0–1.4 mm long vs. ca. 0.5 mm long) with an acuminate apex (vs. obtuse apex) and broadly spatulate to subtrapezoid nectar scales with an obtuse apex (vs. obovate nectar scales).

Description.

Perennial herbs, entirely glabrous. Stems all fertile, succulent; older stems prostrate, bearing persistent withered leaves; young stems arising from older stems, 6–12 cm tall. Leaves alternate, imbricate, oblong-lanceolate, not twisted when young, 7–10 mm long, 1.5–2.0 mm wide, ca. 0.6 mm thick; apex acute; basal leaf spur acuminate, 1.0–1.4 mm long; margins papillate, especially conspicuous in the upper part; succulent. Inflorescence cymose, terminal, 3–5-branched, 2–4 cm in diam.; bracts leaf-like, similar to the leaves. Flowers numerous, sessile, actinomorphic, 0.9–1.2 cm long. Sepals 5, unequal, oblong-lanceolate, 2.5–5.0 mm long, 1.0–1.2 mm wide; apex shortly acuminate, conspicuous papillae; base spurred, spur ca. 0.8 mm long; green, fleshy. Petals 5, elliptic-lanceolate, 5–6 mm long, 1.2–1.5 mm wide; apex acuminate, shortly mucronate at the tip; basally connate for ca. 0.3 mm; yellow, fleshy. Stamens 10; antepetalous stamens 3.5–4.2 mm long, antesepalous stamens 3.9–4.4 mm long. Pollen tricolpate, ellipsoid, 26–28 μm long, 12–13 μm wide, exine with irregularly etched ornamentation. Carpels 5, erect, adaxially gibbous, lanceolate, basally connate for ca. 0.5 mm; ca. 4 mm long, ca. 0.9 mm wide; yellow. Nectar scales 5, broadly spatulate to subtrapezoid, apex obtuse, ca. 0.5 mm long, ca. 0.3 mm wide, white. Follicles obliquely divergent, gibbous, many-seeded. Seeds ellipsoid, surface densely papillate, 0.6–0.8 mm long, 0.2 mm wide.

Phenology.

Flowering from April to May. Fruiting from May to June.

Distribution and habitat.

Sedum hengshanense is distributed in Hengshan Mountain, central Hunan Province, China (Fig. 4), at elevations of 480–1250 m. It grows mainly on moist rocky cliffs, especially above 1000 m.

Figure 4.

Distribution of Sedum hengshanense in Nanyue District, Hunan Province, China.

Additional specimens examined

(paratypes). • Hunan: Nanyue District, Hengshan Mountain, Zhurong Peak, 27.293782°N, 112.694610°E, alt. 1230 m, on rocky slopes, 27 Apr 2025, J.L.Xia QS16 (HIB!); • the same locality, Hongqidianzhan, 27.315003°N, 112.672141°E, alt. 481 m, on rocky slopes, 6 May 2026, J.L.Xia QHN01 (HIB!); • the same locality, Huixianqiao, 27.29469°N, 112.69115°E, alt. 1200 m, on rocky slopes, 9 Jun 2026, J.L.Xia QHN02 (HIB!); • the same locality, Nantianmen, alt. 1100 m, on rocky slopes, 9 Jun 1964, C.M.Chen ex J.S.Yue 1595 (NAS!).

Conservation status.

Three populations were documented in the wild, comprising fewer than 1,000 mature individuals. Two of these, located near the summit of Zhurong Peak, are vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance associated with tourism development. Following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2024), this new species is here assessed as Vulnerable (VU) under criteria C2a(i) and D1.

Etymology.

The specific epithet ‘hengshanense’ refers to Hengshan Mountain (Hunan), the type locality where the species was discovered.

Citation

Qiu X-D, Xia J-L, Zhang F-D, Wang G-P, Tan G-P, Xiong Y, Wang S-W, Wei N, Wang Q-F (2026) Sedum hengshanense (Crassulaceae), a new species from Hunan, central China. PhytoKeys 279: 201–214. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.279.192928

Additional information

Conflict of interest

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ethical statement

No ethical statement was reported.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) use

The authors accept full responsibility for the content of the manuscript, including the disclosure of any use of AI.

No AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Funding

This work was supported by National Key Research and Development Program of China (2024YFE0214500; 2024YFF1307400), National Natural Science Foundation of China (32200174; 32470225), Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SAJC202527ZD01), Support Programme to Plant Taxonomist from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS-TAX-24-040), as well as the Key R&D Programme of Yunnan Province (202403AC100028).

Author contributions

Neng Wei, Qing-Feng Wang and Yu Xiong conceived the study. Jiang-Lin Xia, Guo-Ping Wang and Xiang-Dong Qiu performed field trips. Xiang-Dong Qiu, Feng-Di Zhang and Guo-Ping Tan conducted the measurements of morphological characters, SEM observations and phylogenetic analysis. Xiang-Dong Qiu, Feng-Di Zhang and Sheng-Wei Wang wrote the early version of manuscript. Neng Wei, Qing-Feng Wang and Yu Xiong reviewed the manuscript.

Author ORCIDs

X.-D. Qiu https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2464-6921

F.-D. Zhang https://orcid.org/0009-0004-8943-8419

S.-W. Wang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8785-5065

N. Wei https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0313-3912

Q.-F. Wang https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9143-8849

Data availability

All of the data that support the findings of this study are available in the main text.