FLORA OF NEPAL NOTULAE I: TAXONOMIC NOTES ON NEPALESE SALVIA

While preparing the account of Salvia L. for the Flora of Nepal, two unnamed species were noted. These species are described here as Salvia clementae Pendry & Y.K.Wei and S. manasluensis Pendry & Y.K.Wei. Salvia transhimalaica Yonek., recently described from Mustang, is reduced to synonymy under S. przewalskii Maxim. A key to the species of Salvia in Nepal is presented.


Introduction
The Flora of Nepal (Watson et al., 2011) is the first comprehensive account of Nepal's estimated 7000 species of vascular plants. The Flora's taxonomic accounts are being published in ten volumes and are also made available online (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, continuously updated), but neither of these formats include nomenclatural novelties. These will be published in an intermittent series entitled Flora of Nepal Notulae, of which this is the first.
2 Taxonomic notes on Nepalese Salvia been decided to formally publish this species here. The name Salvia hirtella is not available, because it was used by Vahl to describe a Peruvian species (Vahl, 1804), so this species is named S. clementae in recognition of Clement's work on Himalayan Labiatae.
Salvia clementae is also found in Nepal, and most of the Nepalese specimens of S. clementae had previously been determined as S. hians Royle ex Benth. This name has been a source of considerable confusion, and it has also been misapplied to specimens of both Salvia castanea and S. przewalskii Maxim. (see below). Salvia hians has large (27-35 mm long), purplish blue flowers with a conspicuous white lower lip and is a western Himalayan species that does not occur east of Mustang. Salvia przewalskii is Chinese species with purplish pink flowers similar to those of S. clementae, and although there are no published records of it from Nepal, L. S. Springate annotated several Nepalese specimens at E with this name. Salvia clementae and S. przewalskii are easily distinguished, because the leaves of the latter are much narrower and whitish tomentose below. Bracteoles linear to broadly elliptic, 3-5 mm. Calyx campanulate 10-12 mm, upper lip rounded, 3-5 mm, mucronate or 1-toothed, lower lip 5-6 mm, teeth 3-4 mm, acute. Corolla purplish pink, 20-28 mm, tube 14-20 mm, 8-10 mm wide, obliquely annulate c.5 mm above base, upper lip straight, 6-8 mm, lower lip 6-10 mm, middle lobe to 6 × 9 mm. Stamens fused, filaments 6-7 mm, connective upper arm 3-4 mm, lower arm 1.5-3 mm, upper theca 2.5-3 mm, lower theca fertile, 1.5-2 mm. Staminodes present. Style 24-27 mm, included or up to 3 mm exerted. Nutlets flattened, broadly ellipsoid, 2.5-3 mm.
Ecology. In Abies and Quercus forests, under shade and in clearings, or on open slopes.

Salvia manasluensis Pendry & Y.K.Wei
A single population of this large-flowered Salvia was recorded during fieldwork in the Manaslu region of western Nepal. Although only one specimen was collected, it is considered to be sufficiently distinct from other species of Salvia to merit its description as a new species.  12 mm wide, annulus 7 mm from base, upper lip straight, 12 mm, lower lip 14 mm, middle lobe to 8 × 14 mm. Stamens fused, filaments 7 mm, connective upper arm 4 mm, lower arm 3 mm, upper theca 3.5 mm, lower theca fertile, 2 mm. Staminodes 2 mm. Style 33 mm, included or up to 2 mm exerted. Nutlets not seen.
Ecology. Open areas in Abies woodland.
Phenology. Flowering in August, fruiting in September.
Distribution. Endemic to Nepal. Known only from the type collection.
Salvia manasluensis is clearly closely related to S. campanulata, but it is easily distinguished by its very much larger flowers.

Yonekura (2008) described Salvia transhimalaica
Yonek. for specimens from Mustang that had previously been identified as S. hians. His Latin diagnosis can be translated as: Species similar to Salvia castanea and S. przewalskii but differing from the former by the straight not sigmoid corolla tube and triangular-hastate leaf with hastate-cordate base, and from the latter in purple-blue corolla and leaves densely tomentose above and densely strigose-tomentose below. It is distinguished from Salvia hians by the purple, not white, lower lip.
The Mustang specimens are clearly distinguished from Salvia castanea and S. hians by the characters discussed by Yonekura, but the distinction between them and S. przewalskii is not at all clear. Salvia przewalskii is widespread in China and is found from 2100 to 4000 m in Gansu, Hubei, Sichuan, Xizang and Yunnan. Salvia przewalskii also has purplish flowers, and its leaves are tomentose below, but it is a rather variable species and the Flora of China account includes four varieties that are distinguished by differences in their indumentum and flower colour (Li & Hedge, 1994). The specimens from Mustang, and others from Manang and Dolpa, show no clear differences from material of Salvia przewalskii at either CSH or E, and there is a complete overlap in floral measurements. Salvia transhimalaica is therefore considered within the circumscription of S. przewalskii and so is treated here as a synonym.
The Nepalese collections are all from trans-Himalayan areas to the north of the main ranges of the Himalayas, growing at elevations between 2810 and 4090 m, where the climate is similar to that of the regions of the Tibetan Plateau where Salvia przewalskii is found. It should be noted that the lower elevational limit of 1100 m reported in the Flora of China is probably incorrect. During extensive fieldwork in the region, the second author has rarely seen this species below 2500 m, and the account in Florae Republicae Popularis Sinicae gives a range of 2100 to 4050 m (Wu & Li, 1977).
The following specimens, previously identified as Salvia hians, and also as S.