Holotype: Spain, Catalonia, S Pre-Pyrenees, Serra de Cadí, Cava, between Canal Baridana and la Roca de la Balma, 42°17′19″N, 01°37′48″E, 2250 m, calcareous rock crevices and snowbeds, 9 Aug 2013, P. Aymerich s.n. (BCN 122700; isotype: BC).

Description — Herbs with woody rhizome; stems 1—5, procumbent, slender, 7-25 cm × 0.7-1.2 mm, with adpressed (0–15°) hairs (0.5–1.7 mm long), usually confined to 1 or 2 lowest internodes. Basal leaves: stipules yellowish becoming cream, brown when dry, 9–17.5 mm long, membranous, abaxially glabrous to sparsely hairy; auricles 2–4 mm wide (length/width ratio = 1.4–2), both with 1–3 teeth 0.1–0.3 mm long; ocrea incision 3–6.5 mm long; petiole 3-10.5 × 0.5-0.8 cm, covered by adpressed (0–15°) hairs 0.5–1.5 mm long; leaf blade adaxially dark green, abaxially paler, suborbicular, divided to 32–61 % of nerve length, flat or slightly undulate, 1.5-3.1 × 2-5.5 cm, adaxially glabrous, with adpressed (0–20°) hairs (0.5–1.5 mm long) on margin and main nerves abaxially (main nerves densely covered by hairs throughout their length); leaf lobes 7–9, ± cuneiform to hyperbolic, with straight sides and rounded apex, 1.5–2 × longer than wide; teeth subequal, obliquely triangular, acute, 0.7-1.7 × 0.5-1 mm (3–4.5 % of nerve length, length/width ratio = 1.4-2.5), ± connivent, apical tooth narrower and shorter than adjacent laterals. Cauline leaves 1 or 2(or3), shortly petiolate (petiole to 1 cm long), sometimes subsessile; stipules 4.5-7 × 5-8.3 mm, usually wider than long, margin serrate; leaf blade usually 5-lobed, to 11 × 17 mm, gradually smaller higher up stem. Bracts divided in 20–65 % of their length, 5-12 × 7-12.5 mm. Inflorescences 2–7.5 cm long, with 25–87 flowers. Flowers yellow-green, 3–4 mm in diam.; pedicels 1.5–3.5 mm long, glabrous (sometimes slightly hairy at proximal part). Receptacle oblong-cylindric, 1-1.6 × 0.8-1.5 mm, glabrous, base slightly decurrent. Sepals triangular-ovate, 1-1.5 × 0.7-1.2 mm (length/receptacle length ratio = 65-100(-120)), glabrous; epicalyx segments ovate-lanceolate, 0.7-1.3 × 0.4-0.7 mm, nearly ¾ as long as sepals, glabrous. Staminodes 0.4–0.6 mm long. Style filiform, 1–1.5 mm long. Achene 1.2–1.45 mm long, exceeding receptacle by 15–30 % of its length.

Phenology — Flowering from June to August; fruiting from August to September.

Distribution and ecology — Alchemilla cadinensis is currently known only from three populations in the Cadí range and Tosa d' Alp massif, E Pyrenees (Catalonia, Spain) (Fig. 4). The new species grows in rocky calcareous places on N-facing slopes, where snowbeds persist until June and exceptionally until midsummer. Its populations are placed in a narrow altitudinal zone between 2200 and 2250 m. Alchemilla fissa Günther & Schummel, a species morphologically close to A. cadinensis, was reported from the nearby Pedraforca massif (Fig. 4) by Vigo & al. (2003). This record is not supported by herbarium specimens and it is probably referable to A. cadinensis, but the presence of this species in the Pedraforca massif requires verification.

Conservation status — Among alpine plant communities, snowbeds are regarded as particularly sensitive indicators of climate change (Björk & Molau 2007). Therefore, changes in species composition in snowbeds can be expected. In this context, it is likely that Alchemilla cadinensis may suffer a loss of its habitat and increased plant competition. Our data so far indicate that A. cadinensis should be listed as Endangered EN D, following the categories and criteria of IUCN (2012), in view of its low population size (c. 150 individuals). In addition, this species has an extent of occurrence of 3.15 km² and the area of occupancy calculated on a 0.5 × 0.5 km grid is 0.75 km². The subpopulations from the E Cadi range (Tosa d' Alp) are found close to a ski resort, so it is likely that disturbances caused by heavy machinery and new ski pistes can cause impact on the natural populations of A. cadinensis.

Etymology — The specific epithet cadinensis is derived from “Cadino”, the ancient form of the name for the type locality, the Cadí range, E Pyrenees, Catalonia, Spain.

Remarks — On morphological grounds, the new species is related to Alchemilla demissa (endemic to mountains of C and W Europe), with which it shares most of the vegetative characters and some flower features (sepals longer than or exceptionally subequalling epicalyx segments, receptacle glabrous, or sometimes slightly hairy in proximal part). However, a careful comparison of their morphological features (Table 1) shows relevant differences: A. cadinensis is easily distinguished from A. demissa by its hairy petioles, shorter teeth of distal lobes and smaller achenes exceeding receptacle in 15–30 % of their length.

Alchemilla borderei S. E. Fröhner, a species endemic to the C Pyrenees and Cantabrian Mountains (Fröhner, 1998), is somewhat similar to A. cadinensis, but can be easily separated by several characters (Table 1): erect to ascending stems, wider petioles (which are sometimes glabrous), basal leaves abaxially hairy only on distal part of nerves, larger distal teeth, larger flowers, achenes exceeding receptacle in 33–40 % of their length and especially by almost always having sepals shorter than epicalyx segments (Fröhner, 1998). We have never observed epicalyx segments longer than sepals in A. cadinensis.

Alchemilla cadinensis also resembles A. frigens Buser, a species included within the A. demissa aggregate (Fröhner 2004) endemic to the Alps and Jura. Alchemilla frigens differs from A. cadinensis in shorter pedicels, usually 0.4–1 mm long, longer achenes and less deeply lobed leaves (Table 1). In addition, the stems of A. frigens are usually glabrous.

The new species is somewhat close to Alchemilla fallax Buser (endemic to mountains of S Europe), but differs in the following features: epicalyx segments shorter than or exceptionally subequalling sepals (vs longer than sepals) and length/width ratio 1.6–2.2 (vs 2.5–4), leaves more deeply lobed, 32–61 % of nerve length (vs 8-30(-40) % of nerve length), stems distinctly narrower, 0.7–1.2 mm wide (vs 7–30 mm wide), hairy in 15–25 % of their length (vs 30–80 % of their length), and achenes smaller, 1.2–1.45 mm long (vs 1.5–1.8 mm long).

Morphological relationships with Alchemilla fissa (endemic to mountains of C and S Europe) appear to be more remote. This species can be easily separated by several characters: glabrous (rarely hairy) stems and leaves, translucent and deeply divided basal leaves with strongly divergent teeth, and longer epicalyx segments (Table 1).

Moreover, there are significant morphological differences between Alchemilla cadinensis and other species that are not strictly associated with alpine snowbeds, such as A. incisa Buser, endemic to the Alps, Jura, N Apennines and Tatra. Alchemilla incisa differs distinctively from A. cadinensis in its deeply divided basal leaves (40–67 % of nerve length) with well-separated lobes (with almost U-shaped incisions) and longer teeth (up to 4 mm long), and by its epicalyx segments being usually as long as the sepals.