A Cladopus Species (Podostemaceae) Rediscovered from Hong Kong

Abstract

A species of Podostemaceae discovered in 1963 in Hong Kong was identified as Cladopus nymanii s.l. or C. austrosinensis. No additional specimens were subsequently collected. Consequently, the identification has remained uncertain and it was thought that the plants may have been extirpated in Hong Kong. Half a century later, a species of Cladopus was discovered in a semi natural habitat. Comparison of the morphology and a molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that it was Cladopus fukienensis. It remains to be ascertained whether it also grows in natural habitats, and if it is the only species of Cladopus in Hong Kong.