• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2021

Saussurea albifolia, a new species, is reported from the Baekdudaegan Mountains. It has distinctive morphological characteristics that distinguish it from other congeneric species of Saussurea in Korea; radical leaves persist or withered till flowering, white tomentose leaf beneath, campanulate involucre with brown-cobwebby hairs, and dark purplish phyllaries with acuminate tips. Saussurea albifolia is a new, endemic species, narrowly restricted to the Korean Peninsula as a consequence of adaptation to alpine or subalpine environments of the Baekdudaegan Area. Among the Korean species of Saussurea, S. gracilis Maxim., S. insularis Kitam., and S. seoulensis Nakai are morphologically similar to S. albifolia by having leaves with white hairs beneath and persistent radical leaves during blooming period. It has been well understood that Saussurea is one of the highly diversified and adaptable groups in Asteraceae and also that the currently recognized species in Korea likely significant underestimates its diversity on the Korean Peninsula.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.97-101
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• 2022

Saussurea namhaedoana, a new endemic species narrowly restricted to Namhaedo Island of Korea, is reported in this study. It can be distinguished from other congeneric species of Saussurea in Korea by having persistent radical leaves until flowering, hastate or sagittate leaves with mucronate toothed to undulate-lobulate margins, grayish cobwebby hairs on abaxial leaf surfaces when young, and tubular involucre with grayish cobwebby hairs. Morphologically, S. namhaedoana is closely related to other species in Korea, such as S. gracilis Maxim., S. insularis Kitam., S. seoulensis Nakai and S. albifolia M. J. Nam and H. T. Im, sharing grayish or white hairs on the abaxial leaf surfaces. It, however, can be distinguished from its close relatives by having a distinct leaf shape, i.e., sagittate or hastate leaves. The phylogenetic relationship relative to congeners in East Asia is yet to be determined.