Rhododendron is a collective term for plants of the Rhododendron L.) genus of the Rhododendron family Ericaceae. Rhododendron is the first genus of Chinese woody plants, is the main group or dominant species of alpine and subalpine, and is also a famous ornamental flower in the world, with the reputation of "the world's three major horticultural plants", "China's top ten natural flowers", "the king of woody flowers" and "flowers in the West". China is considered to be one of the modern distribution and differentiation centers of Rhododendron genus, with the continuous reporting of new species of Rhododendron in recent years, there are more than 600 species of Rhododendron species in China.
In September 1929, the American botanist Locke collected a rhododendron specimen in the "Kulu Mountains" in southwest Sichuan, but it was not named. Until 1953, the specimen was used as the sticky cuckoo (R. glischrumBalf. F. et W. W. Smith) variant (R. glischrumvar.adenosum Cowan et Davidian) was published; it was later promoted to species in 1978 by R. kuluense D. F. Chamb. Later than R. Adenosum (Cowan & Davidian) Davidian for about 2 days, according to the principle of precedence of the International Code of Plant Nomenclature (1999), R. adenosum is the legal name, Chinese called Cuckoo.
In the Red list of Rhododendrons, published in 2011, 31 rhododendron species in China were assessed as endangered, accounting for 41% of the world's endangered rhododendron species. In the 2013 China Biodiversity Red List - Higher Plants Volume jointly released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the List of Threatened Species of Higher Plants in China published by Qin Haining et al. (2017), Rhododendron kussamus was assessed as extinct (EW) in the wild. Since 1929, the National Herbarium of Plants has only four specimen records of "suspected kuru rhododendron" collected from Luojishan Mountain, Puge County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and no live plants in the wild have been found in the type of origin.
With the support of the Second Comprehensive Scientific Expedition project on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Biodiversity Assessment Project of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment and the Special Project of the National Science and Technology Basic Resources Survey, Ma Yongpeng, Liu Detuan and Yao Gang of the Comprehensive Conservation Team of Wild Plants of the Kunming Institute of Botany of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a survey on the "Kulu MountainOus Area" (the collection site of the species model specimen) in Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province. In the course of the investigation, the researchers found that there were obvious differences between the suspected species and the kuru rhododendron in terms of leaf surface, petiole, leaf back and twig coat type, number of flowers in the inflorescence, and corolla morphology, so it was determined that the suspected species was not a kulu rhododendron.
"Kulu Mountain" does not exist on the map, after consulting the relevant information, the researchers found relevant records in the literature, based on the information found, the expedition team carried out a 2-day investigation of the mountainous area, found a flower cluster of rhododendron, after comparison with the model specimen, Chinese flora check, confirmed as Kuru Rhododendron.
Based on the above rediscovery information, based on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, the researchers assessed its endangered status as "critically endangered" (CR); based on the concept of wild plants in very small populations, the researchers believe that rhododendrons belong to the typical plant species extremely small populations (PSESP). In order to further grasp the background resources of this species, the researchers will expand the scope of investigation in the surrounding mountainous areas, collect seeds in the autumn and then carry out sowing and reproduction experiments, prepare for ex situ conservation work, and preserve the seeds in the Wildlife Germplasm Resource Bank of Southwest China.
a plant, b inflorescence, c stamens and pistils, d twigs on the front, e twigs on the leaf back
Author: Yao Gang, Liu Detuan, Ma Yongpeng
Source: Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Rhododendron is a collective term for plants of the Rhododendron L. genus of the Rhododendron family Ericaceae. Rhododendron is the first genus of Chinese woody plants, is the main group or dominant species of alpine and subalpine, and is also a famous ornamental flower in the world, with the reputation of "the world's three major horticultural plants", "China's top ten natural flowers", "the king of woody flowers" and "flowers in the West". China is considered to be one of the modern distribution and differentiation centers of Rhododendron genus, with the continuous reporting of new species of Rhododendron in recent years, there are more than 600 species of Rhododendron species in China.
In September 1929, the American botanist Locke collected a rhododendron specimen in the "Kulu Mountains" in southwest Sichuan, but it was not named. Until 1953, the specimen was used as the sticky cuckoo (R. glischrum Balf. F. et W. W. Smith) variant (R. glischrum var. Published by adenosum Cowan et Davidian; it was later promoted to species in 1978 by R. kuluense D. F. Chamb. Later than R. Adenosum (Cowan & Davidian) Davidian for about 2 days, according to the principle of precedence of the International Code of Plant Nomenclature (1999), R. adenosum is the legal name, Chinese is called Kuru Rhododendron.
In the Red list of Rhododendrons, published in 2011, 31 rhododendron species in China were assessed as endangered, accounting for 41% of the world's endangered rhododendron species. In the 2013 China Biodiversity Red List - Higher Plants Volume jointly released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People's Republic of China and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the List of Threatened Species of Higher Plants in China published by Qin Haining et al. (2017), Rhododendron kussamus was assessed as extinct (EW) in the wild. Since 1929, the National Herbarium of Plants has only four specimen records of "suspected kuru rhododendron" collected from Luojishan Mountain, Puge County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, and no live plants in the wild have been found in the type of origin.
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