Primula is one of the largest genera in the Primulaceae widely distributed throughout Asia and Europe. Section Obconicolisteri is one of 38 sections traditionally recognized in Primula. This section contains 17 species, 13 of which are endemic to China. 

During their recent field expedition to survey plant diversity in Yuanyang Guanyinshan Provincial Nature Reserve, Yunnan Province, China, researchers from the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences discovered an unknown Primula species.

After careful morphological studies and based on phylogenetic analysis, the researchers confirmed the unknown species, which is new to science and belongs to the Primula sect. Obconicolisteri. 

The new species was named Primula weimingii in honor of Prof. ZHU Weiming of Yunnan University, who worked on plant taxonomy and made significant contributions to China's flora of lycophytes and ferns and it was published in Taiwania.  

According to the researchers, Primula weimingii is a perennial herb. It most resembles Primula zhengyii and P. obconica subsp. obconica in habit, but, P. weimingii can be clearly distinguished from the latter two species by its scape, which mostly creeps along the ground and is rooted at the nodes with bracts for propagation, and serves a similar vegetative function as a stolon. The corolla tube of P. weimingii is slightly longer than the calyx, the calyx is narrowly campanulate, and the calyx lobes are triangular with a pointed tip. 

Primula weimingii is endemic to eastern Yunnan and is known only from its type locality in Yuanyang Guanyinshan Provincial Nature Reserve in Yunnan. It grows in very damp soil covered with moss in the understory of mid-montane humid evergreen broadleaf forests or forests mixed with bamboo at altitudes of 2,400-2,600 meters. 

"Since the habitats are well preserved, we consider the new species to be of Least Concern status according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature standard," said TAN Yunhong of XTBG. 

Primula weimingii (Image by ZHANG Wei) 

Primula weimingii (Image by YANG Bin) 

Primula weimingii (Image by YANG Bin)