New Euphorbia species discovered in eastern China

BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of Euphorbiaceae in east China's Fujian Province, according to the Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The species was first found by a plant lover named Su Xiangxiu in 2015 when he was conducting a survey of wild plant resources in Jiufeng Mountain, Fujian Province. It was then tentatively named Euphorbia pekinensis, a wide species in East Asia.

In the following six years, more wild populations were found in the Jiufeng Mountain area. The plants belonging to this species are taller with pink bracts, which can be clearly distinguished from Euphorbia pekinensis.

On the basis of sufficient literature review and specimen comparison, the team of researchers studied the morphological characteristics and phylogeny of the species, according to the study published in the journal Systematic Botany.

The evidence of morphology and molecular systematics indicates that the species is a new Euphorbia species that has never been recorded, the study noted.

In honor of Su's outstanding contribution to the discovery and publication of the new species, the researchers named it after him -- Euphorbia xiangxiui.

As one of the largest genera in the plant kingdom, Euphorbia contains about 2,000 species. They grow in complex environments and can be found almost all over the world.