Sinoseris (Crepidinae, Cichorieae, Asteraceae), a new genus of three species endemic to China, one of them new to science

Studies to elucidate the systematic position of two Chinese species described originally as Lactuca hirsuta and L. scandens, of which only historical specimens from the late 19th and early 20th centuries were known, revealed the occurrence of three different species. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of these species based on sequences of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (nrITS) region and three plastid DNA markers (trnL-F, psbA-trnH, matK) uncovered a hitherto unknown lineage in a first comprehensive phylogenetic backbone of the subtribe Crepidinae (Asteraceae, tribe Cichorieae). Substantiated by comparative morphological studies, this lineage is described as a new genus, named Sinoseris, endemic to the Chinese provinces Sichuan and Yunnan. One of its three species is new to science, while another is conspecific with both L. hirsuta and L. scandens. The third was meanwhile described by other authors as Nabalus muliensis and is now transferred to Sinoseris.