Phrynium yunnanense Y.S.Ye & L.Fu, 2017

Fu, Lin, Ye, Yu-Shi & Liao, Jing-Ping, 2017, Phrynium yunnanense (Marantaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China, Phytotaxa 307 (1), pp. 89-94 : 89-93

Phrynium yunnanense Y.S.Ye & L.Fu , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1–3 )

Type: — CHINA. Yunnan: Hekou County, Nanxi Farm, Mage Team protection zones, ca. 280 m, 22°69’868”N, 103°99’995”E, 13 April 2013, Yu-shi Ye 5672 (holotype IBSC!).

Diagnosis: — Phrynium yunnanense is similar to P. hainanense , but it is distinguished by having longer and larger peduncle (20–45 cm), bright orange bracts and fruits. It is also similar to P. pedunculiferum , but it differs in having bright orange bracts, green flowers and bright orange fruits with sparse hairs.

Rosulate, clustering herb, 1.2–2.3 m tall, often forming large clones. Basal leaves 6–10 per shoot, cauline leaf absent; sheath 25–80 cm long, yellowish green, densely pubescent; petiole 26–82 cm long, glabrous; pulvinus 4–13 cm long, yellowish green, glabrous; leaf blade oblong to elliptic, glabrous, 30–80 × 14–31 cm, adaxially yellowish green, abaxially yellowish green to grey-white, base rounded to subrounded, apex acuminate. Inflorescence interfoliar, erect; peduncle 20–45 cm long, glabrous, pale yellowish green; synflorescence elongate, 4.5–11 cm long; first order branches 3–9, spirally arranged; sterile bracts broadly lanceolate to oblong, 5–20 × 2–4 cm, bright orange, sometimes yellowish green at base, soon becoming dry and turning brown, margin hairy; the proximal branches 5.5–22 cm long, densely villous, with 1–3 second order branches; each second order branch subtended by a broadly lanceolate to oblong bract of 3.5–7 × 1.2–2.5 cm, bright orange; fertile bracts 13–25 per branch, glabrous, spirally arranged, oblong to elliptic, 2.5– 5.5 × 1–2.2 cm, bright orange, apically mucronulate to emarginate, the apex often splits into fiber-like structures after flowering; each fertile bract has 2–3 flower pairs, associated prophylls 10–23 × 4–8 mm, interphyll absent. Flowers green, 3.0– 3.3 cm long; pedicel 6–13 mm long, densely pubescent; sepals 3, oblong-lanceolate, 12–13 × 3–4 mm, whitish translucent, glabrous; petal oblong, apically emarginated, 10–14 × 6–8 mm, deflexed and curled, translucent, light orange at base, green at tip, glabrous; corolla tube 5–6 mm long, glabrous; outer staminode absent; cucullate staminode with free part 6–9 × 7–8 mm, pink with green tip; callose staminode 5–7 × 4–5 mm, pink; fertile stamen 5–8 mm long, pink, with a narrow petaloid appendage, 5–6 × 1–2 mm, light pink; style with free part 4–6 mm long, curved, pink; stigma bright red, ca. 2 mm in diameter; ovary oblong, yellow, densely hairy, 3–4 mm long, 3-loculed. Fruits bright-orange, trigonous, both ends compressed, sparsely hairy, 10–12 × 13–15 mm, 3-valved dehiscent; seeds 3, ellipse, 8–10 × 4–6 mm; aril cream, enveloping seed.

Phenology, distribution and habitat: —At the type locality, the species bloom from April to June and bear fruits from July to mid October. It is found in valley rainforest at elevation range of 280–640 m in Hekou County (Honghe Hani-Yi Autonomous Prefecture) and Maguan County (Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture) in Yunnan, China. It is also found in valley rainforest at ca. 350 m in Cuc Phuong National Park and 400–500 m in Que Phong District, Nghe An Province, Vietnam. The type locality at Hekou county is a small, highly disturbed rainforest fragment embedded in a large area of banana plantations.

Etymology: —The specific epithet refers to Yunnan Province in China.

Taxonomic Notes: — Phrynium yunnanense differs from all other species of Marantaceae in having long peduncle (20–45 cm), bright orange bracts and fruits, and green flowers. The cauline leaf, normally found in P. hainanense and P. pedunculiferum , is absent in P. yunnanense . Compared to P. hainanense , it has oblong to elliptic fertile bracts and ellipse seeds. Compared to P. pedunculiferum , its leaf sheaths are 6.0– 14.5 cm long, green, glabrous and its cucullate staminode is white. Other characteristic features of this new species include its long pulvinus (4–13 cm), long pedicel (6–13 mm), oblong petals and oblong-lanceolate sepals. Details of morphological comparison between P. yunnanense , P. hainanense and P. pedunculiferum are summarized in Table 1.

Additional specimens examined (paratypes): — CHINA. Yunnan: Hekou County, Nanxi Farm, Mage Team protection zones, ca. 280 m, 14 June 2013, Yu-shi Ye 5680 ( IBSC!) ; Yunnan: Maguan County, Gulinqing Nature Reserve, Bojia Protection Station , ca. 640 m, 13 April 2013, Yu-shi Ye 5670 ( IBSC), 14 June 2013, Yu-shi Ye 5679 ( IBSC!) . VIETNAM. Nghe An Province: Que Phong District, Chau Kim, Phu Quang above Ban Muong , 400–500 m, 19°34’N, 104°52’E, 6 April 1998, D.D. Soejarto, T.N. Ninh, P.H. Hoang 10256 ( AAU) ; Ninh Binh: Cuc Phuong National Park, trail from Bong to the peak, 350 m, 20°19’N, 105°59’E, 22 November 2003, P. Suksathan 3546 ( AAU) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phryniumyunnanense.A.Habit.B. Fertilebracts.C.Flowers.D.Three detached petal.E.Adaxial surface of callose staminode. F.Abaxial surface of cucullate staminode. G.Adaxial surface of fertile stamen. H. Fruit. I. Top view of the fruit. J. Seeds. Drawn by Yu-shi Ye from Yu-shi Ye 5672 holotype.

FIGURE 2. Phrynium yunnanense. A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Leaf sheathes. D. Rhizomes, showing the growing lateral buds. E. Lamina base and pulvinus. F. Infructescence. G. Dehiscent fruits and seeds. H. Entire fruits. I. Cross section of the fruits.

FIGURE 3. Phrynium yunnanense. A. Inflorescence. B. Fertile bract, prophyll, flowers and flower buds that surrounded by the prophyll (from left to right). C. Prophyll and flower buds (arrow in FIGURE 3B). D. Sterile bract. E. Lateral view of flower. F. Flower and 3 detached sepals. G. Top view of synflorescence. H. Top view of flower, showing stigma, staminode and 3 petals. I. Three detached petals. J. Front view of style and stigma with cucullate staminode and callose staminode. K. Back view of the cucullate staminode and callose staminode. L. Front view of style and stigma. M. Back view of style and stigma. N. Adaxial surface of callose staminode. O. Abaxial surface of callose staminode. P. Adaxial surface of cucullate staminode. Q. Abaxial surface of cucullate staminode. R. Adaxial surface of fertile stamen. S. Abaxial surface of fertile stamen.