Aspidistra stenophylla C.R.Lin et R.C.Hu, 2014

Hu, Ren-Chuan, Shen, Xiao-Lin, Liu, Jing & Lin, Chun-Rui, 2014, Aspidistra stenophylla (Asparagaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 170 (1), pp. 53-56 : 53

Aspidistra stenophylla C.R.Lin et R.C.Hu , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

Type: — CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jingxi County, Tongde town , limestone mountains, alt. 780 m, 12 May 2012, Chun-Rui Lin 1036 (holotype, IBK!; isotype, IBK!) .

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 9–10 mm thick, covered with scales, nodes densely. Roots numerous. Vaginal leaves 4–5, 2– 6 cm long, purple-red, becoming black-brown when dry. Leaves solitary; petiole stiffly upright, 9–22 cm long, 2 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade linear, 50–60 cm long, 1.5– 2.5 cm wide, dark green, base tapering into petiole, apex acuminate, margin entire, midvein distinct, lateral veins conspicuous when dried. Peduncle purple-red, 1.5–3 cm long, with 4–6 bracts; bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, white with purple-red spots, 3–5 mm long, ca 5 mm wide, obtuse at apex. Flower solitary; perigone urceolate, ca 15 mm long, dark purple, adaxially finely papillose; lobes 6, triangular, slightly curved inward, 6–7 mm long, 5–6 mm wide at base, adaxially purple-red and with light yellow apex, with two prominent keels from top to the middle of perigone tube; perigone tube 8–9 mm long and 14–15 mm in diameter, adaxially dark purple. Stamens 6, opposite to the perigone lobes, inserted at the bottom of the perigone tube, significantly lower than stigma; anthers oblong, ca 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, filaments ca 1 mm long. Pistil mushroom-shaped, purple-red, ca 1 cm long, ovary inconspicuous, style short, cylindrical, ca 2 mm long and 1 mm in diameter, stigma peltate, subrotundate, ca 1 cm in diameter, upper surface with 3 whitish, ca 1 mm high, “ V ” shaped ribs, and 3 purple-red radial ribs from center to margin, slightly irregularly undulate at margin. Berry subglobose, 10–15 mm in diameter, slightly tuberculate. flowering in May to June, and fruiting in the next year from February to April.

Distribution and ecology: —This new species is currently known only from Jingxi County in southwestern Guangxi, China. It grows on a limestone slopes, under evergreen broad-leaved forest at 700–800 m altitude.

Taxonomic relationships: — Aspidistra stenophylla is similar to A. omeiensis Zhu & Zhang (1981: 386) and A. linearifoli a Wan & Huang (1987: 220) in leaves linear, perigone dark purple, but differs by having perigone urceolate and adaxially densely papillose, lobes slightly curved inward, stigma upper surface with 3 whitish, ca 1 mm high, “V” shaped ribs. A detailed comparison to distinguish the three species is presented in Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidistra stenophylla. A. Habit with flowers. B. Flower. C. Flower, longitudinally dissected. D. Fruit. E. Pistil, side view. F. Stigma, upper view. Drawn by Wen-Hong Lin.

FIGURE 2. Aspidistra stenophylla. A. Flower, side view. B. Flower, upper view. C. Stigma, upper view. D. Fruit, side view. E. Stigma, side view. F. Flower, longitudinally dissected.