identifier	taxonID	type	CVterm	format	language	title	description	additionalInformationURL	UsageTerms	rights	Owner	contributor	creator	bibliographicCitation
03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.text	03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2.taxon	http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text	http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#GeneralDescription	text/html	en	Zingiber edule H. B. Ding Y. X. Gong & X. S. Yan A. Habit 2025	<div><p>Zingiber edule H.B.Ding Y.X.Gong &amp; X.S.Yan, sp. nov. (Figure 1)</p><p>Diagnosis: — Zingiber edule is similar to Z. neotruncatum T.L.Wu, K.Larsen &amp; Turland in Wu et al. (2000: 91) (Fig. 2) in truncate ligule and the shape of its labellum and lateral staminodes, but differs by having free ligule lobes (vs. ligule lobes joined almost to apex), bract greenish yellow ca. 2/3 of the base and reddish brown tinge towards apex (vs. red) and labellum and lateral staminodes brownish yellow (vs. white or pale yellow).</p><p>Type:— CHINA. Yunnan Province: Mengla county, Mengla Town, Bubeng Village, voucher from a cultivated plant at Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, 13 August 2023, H.B. Ding &amp; Y.X. Gong D665 [fl.] (holotype: HITBC [HITBC0122105]!) .</p><p>Perennial rhizomatous herb 1.5–2.5 m tall, forming clumps, with 2–5 leafy shoots per clump. Rhizomes branched, thickened, fleshy, strongly aromatic, 2–5 cm in diam., reddish brown externally and internally (fresh rhizomes). Leafy shoots with 30–38 leaves when flowering, 5–8 leafless sheaths at base; bladeless sheaths brownish yellow, lower ones red-brown or red, pubescent; leaf sheaths green, pubescent. Ligule 5–6 mm long, pubescent, apex truncate, ligule lobes free; petiole reduced to a light green pulvinus, 1–3 mm long, densely white pubescent; lamina linear, 30–40 × 3–5 cm, adaxially dark green and glabrous, abaxially pale green and white appressed villous, base obtuse to cuneate, apex attenuate. Inflorescence 1–3 per pseudostem, arising directly from the rhizome near the base, with 1–3 flowers opening at a time; peduncles erect, 20–45 cm long, sheathing bracts 5–9 per peduncle, elliptic to oblong, 4–6.5 cm long (shortest basally, progressively longer distally), involute, 2–3 cm wide when flattened, dark red, externally pubescent, apex emarginate to obtuse; spike 10–20 × 3–5 cm, fusiform, consisting of 45–65 imbricate fertile bracts, each subtending a single flower, bracts obovate, 3.5–4.5 × 2.0–4.0 cm (smaller towards the apex), convex with incurved apex, externally greenish yellow ca. 2/3 of the base, reddish brown tinge towards apical part when flowering, sparsely pubescent, internally brownish yellow, glabrous, apex obtuse and involute, margin membranous and pubescent; bracteoles narrowly oblong, 3.5–3.7 cm long, involute, 0.8–1.2 cm wide when flattened, brownish yellow, reddish brown tinge at the apex. Flowers 8.0– 8.5 cm long, much exserted beyond the bracts; calyx tubular, 1.4–1.6 cm long, ca. 4 mm in diam. at base, slightly swollen in the middle, ca. 6 mm in diam., membranaceous, semi-translucent cream-white, sparsely pubescent, with unilateral incision to 5 mm deep, apex almost truncate with inconspicuous teeth; floral tube 4.2–4.5 cm long, shallowly curved, widening gradually towards apex, cream-white at base, brownish yellow towards the apical part, glabrous; dorsal corolla lobe elliptic, 3.1–3.2 × 1.1–1.2 cm, brownish yellow with semi-translucent veins, glabrous, apex acute; lateral corolla lobes narrowly oblong, 2.8–3.0 × 0.7–0.8 cm, brownish yellow with semi-translucent veins, glabrous, apex acute; labellum elliptic, 3.0–3.1 × 1.8–1.9 cm excluding lateral staminodes, (3.1–3.2 cm broad inclusive of lateral staminodes), brownish yellow, slight reddish brown stripes in the center but not mottled, glabrous, apex rounded and entire; lateral staminodes 2.1–2.2 × 0.9–1.0 cm, elliptic, brownish yellow, with significantly reddish brown patches at the base, connate to labellum in their basal 1/5–1/4, glabrous, apex rounded. Stamen 3.1–3.3 cm long with anther crest stretched, filament sessile, anther ca. 1.5 cm long (excluding anther crest) by ca. 3.5 mm broad, connective tissue brownish yellow, glabrous; anther thecae ca. 1.4 cm long, dehiscing throughout entire length, pollen bright yellow; anther crest beak-shaped, 1.5–1.6 cm long when stretches, brownish yellow. Style filiform, white, glabrous; stigma extending to the tip of anther crest, funnel-shaped, slightly thicker than the style, white, ostiole ciliate. Ovary cylindrical, slightly swollen in middle, trilocular, 5–6 × 4–5 mm, brownish yellow, densely villous; epigynous glands two, narrowly conical, 8–9 mm long, ca. 1 mm in diam. at base, brownish yellow. Fruit not seen.</p><p>Phenology: —Based on our surveys, the new species was observed flowering from August to September. Fruit is not seen.</p><p>Etymology: —The local villagers like to plant this species around their houses or under rubber ( Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex de Jussieu 1824: t.12) Müller (1865: 204)) forests because its delicious rhizomes can be use as edible ingredient. Thus, the specific epithet ‘ edule ’ is given refers to the edible rhizomes. The Chinese name is ‘měi wèi jiāng (ṯ味姜)’ meaning delicious ginger.</p><p>Habitat and distribution: — Zingiber edule is currently known only from its type locality and nearby areas, which grows on sandstone soil, in moist, half-shaded areas under evergreen broad-leaved forest.</p><p>Conservation status: — Zingiber edule is currently known only from the type locality, based on the present knowledge and available data, conservation status is assessed as Data Deficient (DD; IUCN 2022).</p><p>Additional specimen examined (paratypes): — CHINA. Yunnan Province: Mengla county, Mengla Town, Bubeng Village, 8 August 2023, Y.X. Gong G900 (HITBC) ; ibidem, voucher from a cultivated plant at Yunnan Institute of Tropical Crops, 7 November 2025, X.S. Yan &amp; Y.W. Ruan G1036 (HITBC, PE) .</p><p>Notes: — Zingiber edule is also similar to Z. ottensii Valeton (1918: 136) (Fig. 3), Z. zerumbet (Linnaeus 1753: 1) Roscoe ex Smith (1806: 105) (Fig. 4) and Z. parishii subsp. phuphanense Triboun &amp; K.Larsen in Triboun et al. (2014: 62) (Fig. 5), but it differs from Z. ottensii in its shorter and truncate ligule (5–6 mm long (Fig. 6 A) vs. 10–15 mm long and apex rounded (Fig. 6 I)), linear lamina (35–40 × 3–5 cm (Fig. 6 B) vs. elliptic, 25–38 × 6.0– 8.5 cm (Fig. 6 J)) and brownish yellow labellum (vs. mottled). It differs from Z. zerumbet in its shorter and truncate ligule (5–6 mm long (Fig. 6 A) vs. 20–28 mm long and apex obtuse (Fig. 6 M)) and labellum entire (vs. with a short cleft 5–6 mm). It differs from Z. parishii subsp. phuphanense in its longer and truncate ligule (5–6 mm long vs. 2–4 mm long and ligule bilobed, lobes rounded), larger lamina (35–40 × 3–5 cm vs. 20–32 × 1.8–3.0 cm) and brownish yellow labellum (vs. cream), and compact fertile bracts with an obtuse apex (vs. loose fertile bracts with a truncate apex). The comparison of the above five species is provided in Table 1.</p></div>	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BC8793FF96FFA5FF74DE54FD4CFBF2	Public Domain	No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.		Plazi	Gong, Yan-Xiong;Zhou, Hui-Ping;Zhou, Hua-Ze;Luo, Hai-Yu;Yan, Xiang-Shuai;Ding, Hong-Bo	Gong, Yan-Xiong, Zhou, Hui-Ping, Zhou, Hua-Ze, Luo, Hai-Yu, Yan, Xiang-Shuai, Ding, Hong-Bo (2025): Zingiber edule (Zingiberaceae), a new species from Yunnan, China. Phytotaxa 732 (1): 46-56, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4, URL: https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.732.1.4
