Scientists find new plant species in Tibet

LHASA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have found a new plant species of Primula in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, according to the Chengdu Institute of Biology (CIB) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

The findings, made by researchers from the CIB, have been published recently in the journal PhytoKeys.

During botanical explorations in Medog County, Tibet, the researchers collected a remarkable species of Primula. It grows in the cracks of steep, wet cliffs covered with moss at elevations between 3,550 and 3,700 meters.

By comparing the plant with several known Primula species, the researchers confirmed that it is a new species with unique characteristics such as densely grayish-haired roots, reniform leaf blades with revolute margins, and solitary flowers on the scapes.

The new species was named Primula medogensis after the county where it was found.

Further explorations in the adjacent mountainous areas are needed for an adequate assessment of the conservation status of the new species, said the study.

According to the researchers, more than 380 species of Primula are distributed in China, and the discovery of the plant species enriches the botanical resources of the genus in China.