Solidago yambaruensis

Solidago yambaruensis S. Sakaguchi & Mot. Ito is a recently described very rare rheophyte endemic to Okinawa Island, Ryukyo Arch, in southern Japan.

Solidago yambaruensis range map JCS draft

The species was described by Sakaguchi et al. (2021) based on results of molecular and morphometric studies of the S. decurrens complex of species that includes the more widely distributed rheophytes S. yokusaiana along rivers in southern Japan and S. horieana endemic to a small location on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan. Solidago decurrens var. insularis also occurs on Okinawa Island but is not a rheophyte. Several recent studies have done much to expand our understanding of the S. virgaurea complex s.l. across Eurasian in Japan (Sakaguchi et al. 2017, 2018, 2021; Kyan et al. 2021).

Solidago yambaruensis habit Sakaguchi

Solidago yambaruensis, habit, mid height shoots, Okinawa, Japan; photo by Shota Sakaguchi

Solidago yambaruensis habitat Sakaguchi

Solidago yambaruensis, habitat on river on Okinawa Is. Japan; photo by Shota Sakaguchi

Solidago yambaruensis rosette Sakaguchi

Solidago yambaruensis, basal rosette on rocky margin of river; photo by Shota Sakaguchi

Solidago yambaruensis HT KYO Nagamasu mod JCS

Solidago yambaruensis, shoots on holotype KYO; photo Hidetoshi Nagamasu modified by JC Semple

Solidago yambaruensis lvs HT KYO Nagamasu mod JCS

Solidago yambaruensis, leaves on holotype KYO; photo by Hidetoshi Nagamasu modified by JC Semple

Solidago yambaruensis range map JCS draft

Solidago yambaruensis, distribution map, Okinawa Is., Japan; JCS draft

Sakaguchi, S., K. Horie, N. Ishikawa, A. Nagano, M. Yasugi, H. Kudoh & M. Ito 2017. Simultaneous evaluation of the effects of geographic, environmental andtemporal isolation in ecotypic populations of Solidago virgaurea. New Phytol. 216: 1268–1280.

Sakaguchi, S., T. Kimura, R. Kyan, M. Maki, T. Nishino, N. Ishikawa, A.J. Nagano, M.N. Honjo, M. Yasugi, H. Kudoh, P. Li, H. Jae Choi, O.A. Chernyagina and M. Ito. 2018. Phylogeographic analysis of the East Asian goldenrod (Solidago virgaurea complex, Asteraceae) reveals hidden ecological diversification with recurrent formation of ecotypes. Ann. Bot. 121: 489–500.

Sakaguchi, S, Ai Abe, K. Nagasawa, D. Takahashi, H. Setoguchi, M. Maki, R. Kyan, T. Nishinno, N. Ishikawa, S.K. Hirota, Y. Suyama, and M. Ito. 2021. Functional traits divergence in parallelly evolved rheophytic populations of Solidago virgaurea L. complex (Asteraceae) in Japan. Acta Phytotax. Geobot. 72 (2): 1–19.

Ryuuta Kyan,Takuma Kimura, Tadashi Yamashiro, Shinji Fujii, Shota Sakaguchi, Motomi Ito, Atsushi J. Nagano, Hiroshi Kudoh, and Masayuki Maki. 2021. Phylogeographic and demographic modeling analyses of the multiple origins of the rheophytic goldenrod Solidago yokusaiana Makino. Heredity 126(5): 831-845.

Last updated 1 March 2023 by J.C. Semple