Sinocrassula is a genus of succulent, subtropical plants of the family Crassulaceae, the largest family in Saxifragales with 35 genera. Some species of Sinocrassula have been used as traditional Chinese medicines, such as S. indica, which is often used to treat rheumatic arthritis, stomachache, and fracture.

During a field trip in Sichuan Province, China, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan University found two Sinocrassula populations. The materials were covered with hairs on the whole plants but lack a rosette, which is obviously different from the currently documented species in Sinocrassula.

After careful morphological and molecular studies, researchers confirmed that the materials represent a species new to science. They named it Sinocrassula holotricha in reference to the plants covered by pubescence throughout. The study was published in PhytoKeys.

Sinocrassula holotricha is a terrestrial or lithophytic, perennial, plant. It is hairy throughout, reaching 15-20 cm tall. It is similar to Sinocrassula yunnanensis in having dense and short hairs on the whole plants, but differs from the latter in basal leaves opposite, orangish-red petals, and ligulate nectar scales. It is also morphologically similar to S. ambigua and S. jiaozishanensis, but clearly differs from the latter two by its hairy plants (vs. glabrous).

Sinocrassula holotricha is known only from the west and southwest Sichuan. Two populations have been found on granite crevices, dry stony, or gravelly slopes at elevations of about 1500–2400 meters.

Sinocrassula holotricha (Image by CHEN Chao)

Sinocrassula holotricha (Image by CHEN Chao)

Sinocrassula holotricha (Image by CHEN Chao)

Sinocrassula holotricha (Image by CHEN Chao)