Rhododendron smokianum, a New Species from the Great Smoky Mountains
Albach DC and Bauer R. 2021. Rhododendron smokianum, a New Species from the Great Smoky Mountains. Systematic Botany. 46(1):122–129
ABSTRACT: Species delimitation in Rhododendron subsect. Caroliniana (Ericaceae) has been disputed in the past with one or three species accepted. Here we report a fourth species, R. smokianum, a narrow endemic from the Great Smoky Mountains (Tennessee/North Carolina, USA). It is characterized by short-tubed corollas and small, compact growth. We support our conclusion by phylogenetic analyses of ITS and plastid trnL-F sequence data. The new species is a specialist of open mafic rock slopes and maintains morphological and phenological differences to the related species even in cultivation.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Albach, Dirk; Bauer, Ralf
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- Appalachian Mountains, endemic, ITS, maphic rock, new species, Rhododendron minus, Rhododendron smokianum, trnL-F region, vascular plants