Rediscovery of Pogostemon dielsianus (Lamiaceae, Lamioideae), a rare endemic species from southwestern China, after one century.

Abstract

Pogostemon dielsianus (Lamiaceae) was described in 1913 based on a single gathering from northwestern Yunnan of China collected in 1905, and thereafter no further collections were observed until 2019. We rediscovered the rare endemic species in Lushui County, Yunnan. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on four cpDNA markers (rbcL, rps16, psbA-trnH, and trnL-trnF) and the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region confirmed its infrageneric placement within subg. Pogostemon. Based on observations of the rediscovered population of P. dielsianus, we updated its morphological description, provided an illustration, and discussed its distribution. Under IUCN criteria, the species was categorized as “Critically Endangered (CR)”.