Aspidistra longshengensis C.R.Lin & W.B.Xu, 2015

Lin, Chun-Rui, Huang, Xin-Yi, Pan, Bo, Xu, Wei-Bin & Liu, Yan, 2015, Two new species of Aspidistra (Asparagaceae) from Guangxi, China: A. chunxiuensis and A. longshengensis, Phytotaxa 208 (2), pp. 163-169 : 166

Aspidistra longshengensis C.R.Lin & W.B.Xu sp. nov. ( Figs. 3 , 4 )

Type: — CHINA. Guangxi, Longsheng County, Jiangdi town, alt. 365 m a.s.l., 12 August 2014, Longsheng traditional Chinese medicine resources Investigation Team 450328140812075 (holotype IBK!, isotype IBK!).

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 7–9 mm in diameter, densely nodal. Vagina leaves 4–5, dull reddish-brown, up to 10 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, fibrous when withered. Leaves solitary, 1–3 cm apart; petiole stiff upright, 10–32 cm long, 2–3 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade usually elliptic to ellipticlanceolate, 23–34 cm long and 5–6.5 cm wide. dark green with small yellowish white spots, base cuneate, inequilateral, apex acuminate, margin entire, with prominent midvein on lower surface and 4–5 inconspicuous secondary veins at both sides. Peduncle purplish red, 1–3 cm long, with 4–5 bracts, the two bracts at the base of perigone broadly ovate, white with purple spots, 4–5 mm long, 6–8 cm wide, apex subobtuse. Flowers solitary; perigone urceolate, fleshy, purplish red; lobes 8 (occasionally 6), suberect, triangular, 3–4 mm long and 2–3 mm wide at base, adaxially shallowly verruculose, thickened at base; tube 4–5 mm long, greatest 9–11 mm diameter, adaxially deep purple and shallowly verruculose at the upper part of the perigone tube, white at the bottom half of the tube; Stamens 8, opposite to lobes, inserted at the middle of perigone tube, positioned lower than stigma; anther pale yellow, subglobose, ca. 1 mm long and wide, filaments ca. 1 mm long. Pistil peltate, ca. 4 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style white, shortly cylindrical, 1–2 mm tall, ca. 2 mm in diameter, stigma shortly obpyramidal, white below, upper surface purplish red, ca. 6 mm in diameter, with (3–)4 prominent radial ridges at center, 4-lobed at margin, lobes emarginate at apex. Flowering from August to October.

Distribution and ecology: — Aspidistra longshengensis is currently known only from Jianxin Natural Reserve, Jiangdi town, Longsheng County in northern Guangxi, China. It grows under evergreen broad-leaved forest, in the river valley at 350–400 m altitude, together with species like Asplenium loxogrammoides Christ , Haplopteris amboinensis (Fée) X.C.Zhang , Microsorum punctatum (L.) Copel., Begonia palmata D.Don , Begonia fimbristipula Hance , Archidendron lucidum (Benth.) Nielsen , Aidia cochinchinensis Lour. , Chirita fimbrisepala Hand. -Mazz., Rhododendron rivulare Hand. -Mazz.

Etymology: — The specific epithet ‘ longshengensis ’ is derived from the name of the type locality, Longsheng County, Guangxi, China.

Taxonomic relationships: — Aspidistra longshengensis is similar to A. pingtangensis ( He et al. 2011: 187) in the shape of flower, but mainly differs by the perigone purplish red, lobes larger, 3–4× 2–3 mm, adaxially shallowly verruculose from lobes to the upper part of the tube, stamens inserted at the middle of the tube. Aspidistra longshengensis is also similar to A. fenghuangensis KY.Lang in Lang et. al. (1999: 494) (Deng et. al. 2010), however, the latter species differs in its perigone campanulate, lobes recurved, 6 × 3–4 mm, adaxially 2-keeled, keels densely papillose. A detailed comparison of the three species is presented in Table 1.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Aspidistra longshengensis. A. Flowering plant; B. Flower lateral view; C. Perigone, dissected to show stamens and pistil; D. Pistil; E. Stigma, apical view of 4-merous gynoecium; F. Stigma, apical view of 3-merous gynoecium. Drawn by W. H. Lin from the holotype.

FIGURE 4. Aspidistra longshengensis. A. Rhizome and flowers; B. Habit; C. Flower bud; D. Flower, apical view; E. Flower, lateral view; F. Flower dissected, showing stamens and pistil; G. Stigma, apical view; H. Pistil.