Zingiber cochleariforme, D.Fang

Wang, Qing-Long, Yuan, Lang-Xing, Tang, Huan & Bai, Lin, 2024, Zingiber inodorum (Zingiberaceae: Zingiberoideae), a new species of Z. sect. Cryptanthium from Hainan, China, Phytotaxa 653 (3), pp. 281-289 : 286

A key to species in the “ Z. cochleariforme group”

1a. Petioles 1.5–4 cm long (including pulvini and narrowed bases of laminae)......................................................................................2

1b. Petioles less than 1 cm long, comprising the pulvinus only...............................................................................................................3

2a. Ligules 1.2–3 cm long ................................................................................................................................................ Z. vuquangense

2b. Ligules less than 0.8 cm long .............................................................................................................................................................4

4a. Each leafy shoot possesses less than 10 laminae.............................................................................................................. Z. inodorum

4b. Each leafy shoot possesses 20–23 laminae .......................................................................................................... Z. cornubracteatum

3a. Each leafy shoot possesses less than 10 laminae................................................................................................................................5

3b. Each leafy shoot possesses 11–22 laminae.........................................................................................................................................6

5a. Laminae more than 10 cm wide, bracts acuminate to narrowly attenuate at apices ............................................... Z. arunachalensis

5b. Laminae less than 10 cm wide, bracts acute to obtuse at apices ........................................................................................................7

7a. Bracts 0.5–1.5 cm wide, involute on both sides, loosely arranged; corolla lobes pale yellow, often with dark red purple tinge; anther crest dark red purple ................................................................................................................................................. Z. pleiostachyum

7b. Bracts 2.2–2.6 cm wide, flat and imbricating; corolla lobes white; anther crest cream white...................................... Z. bipinianum

6a. Labellum cream..................................................................................................................................................................................8

6b. Labellum red, pink to purple, pure colour or with cream spots or striations .....................................................................................9

8a. Bracts green with purple tinge when flowering .......................................................................................................... Z. guangxiense

8b. Bracts red when flowering......................................................................................................................................... Z. meghalayense

9a. Bracts flat, compact when flower.....................................................................................................................................................10

9b. Bracts strongly involute on both sides, loosely arranged when flower............................................................................................11

10a. Bracts spathulate, apices truncate (at least the outermost ones) and often incurve, cream at bases but with dark purple tinge at apices ....................................................................................................................................................................... Z. cochleariforme

10b. Bracts ovate to narrowly ovate, apices not truncate and incurve, red throughout............................................................................12

11a. Bracts red....................................................................................................................................................................... Z. recurvatum

11b. Bracts green with purple tinge when flowering ...............................................................................................................................13

12a. Lamina 3–6 cm wide ................................................................................................................................................. Z. mizoramensis

12b. Lamina 13–16 cm wide ................................................................................................................................................. Z. salarkhanii

13a. Labellum 2–6 mm wide at widest point ........................................................................................................................ Z. hainanense

13b. Labellum 8–13 mm wide at widest point .........................................................................................................................................14

14a. Labellum purplish red............................................................................................................................................... Z. pleiostachyum

14b. Labellum cream, sometimes tinged pink to purple at upper part ................................................................................ Z. guangxiense