Aspidistra yachangensis C.R.Lin, Bo Pan & Yan Liu

Lin, Chun-Rui, Lu, Zhao-Cen, Pan, Bo, Wan, Xin-Yu, Xu, Wei-Bin & Liu, Yan, 2024, Five new species of Aspidistra (Asparagaceae) from Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 652 (2), pp. 100-114 : 108-110

4. Aspidistra yachangensis C.R.Lin, Bo Pan & Yan Liu , sp. nov. ( Fig. 5 )

Type:— CHINA. Guangxi: Baise City, Leye County, Yachang Township, Yachang Orchid National Nature Reserve , around point 106.2103°E’ 24.7821°N, at elevation about 1100 m, not common, 3 December 2023, Chun-Rui Lin & Bo Pan 1922 (holotype: IBK00461696 , isotype: IBK00461697 ).

Diagnosis:— The new species resembles A. retusa in color and shape of the flowers, but clearly differs by the narrowly oblanceolate leaves, 56–94 × 4.5–6 cm, stamens inserted in the middle of perianth tube, distally reaching or just below the top of stigma, pistil obconical, stigma 3–4 mm in diameter.

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 8–12 mm in diameter, covered with scales, nodes dense. Roots elongate. Leaf sheath 3–4, purplish red, 2–15 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, becoming blackish brown and fibrous when withered. Leaves solitary, 1–2 cm apart; petiole stiffly upright, 8–25 cm long, 2–3 mm in diameter, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade narrowly long oblanceolate, 56–94 cm long, 4.5–6 cm wide, dark green, base cuneate, gradually narrowing into a petiole, inequilateral, apex acuminate, mid vein strongly prominent on abaxial surface, secondary veins 4–5 pairs, margin serrulate near apex. Peduncle ascending, white to purplish red, 1–2 cm long, with 3–4 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, the most basal bracts of perianth broadly ovate-cucullate, white densely with purplish red spots to purplish red, 5–7 mm long, 8–10 mm wide, obtuse at apex. Flower solitary; perianth campanulate, 12–14 mm long, fleshy, outside white to pale purplish red, 6 (8)–lobed apically; lobes nearly upright or slightly explanate, triangular, 5–6 mm long, 5–6 mm wide at base, apex obtuse, inside purplish red, sometimes with yellow at the tip, adaxially with 2–3 inconspicuous longitudinal shallow grooves at base; tube 7–9 mm long, 9–11 mm in diameter, inside upper half purplish red to purplish black, and the lower half white. Stamens 6 (8), opposite to lobes, inserted in the middle of perianth tube, distally reaching or just below the top of stigma, filaments white, 1–1.5 mm long, anthers oblong and curved, 2–2.5 mm long and 1.5–2 mm wide, pollen yellow. Pistil obconical, white, 5–6 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style distally gradually widened to stigma, stigma subrotund, 3–4 mm in diameter, upper surface white and densely fine papillose, nearly flat or slightly concave, with 3 (4) Y-shaped shallow groove in center, shallowly 6 (8) lobed at margin, purplish red around the margin. Fruit subglobose, 1.5–2 cm in diameter, brownish black, surface irregular tuberculate.

Phenology:— Flowering from October to December, fruiting mature in the next year from November to December.

Etymology:— The specific epithet refers to the type locality of the new species, Yachang Orchid National Nature Reserve is located in the northwest of Guangxi and where many new species have been found in recent years ( Zhang et al. 2016, Luo et al. 2020, Qin et al. 2021). The Chinese name is given as ‘ åẗǵƦḂã ’(Chinese pinyin: yǎ cháng zhī zhū bào dàn).

Distribution and ecology:— Aspidistra yachangensis is currently only known from the type locality, Yachang Township, Leye County in Guangxi, China ( Fig.1 : half-moon). It grows in forests on slopes or in valleys at elevation of 1100–1180 m, not common.

Additional specimens examined (paratype): — CHINA. Guangxi, Guilin City, Botany Garden of Guilin, cultivation, collected by Bo Pan from the same source as the holotype, 22 December 2022, Chun-Rui Lin 1656 (IBK00461698)

Conservation status:— Aspidistra yachangensis is so far only known one localities from the type locality, the populations were occurring in protected area, where the habitat was in good condition. Further investigations in the neighboring areas of Guizhou Province with the same habitat are needed to give a better understanding of its natural distribution and abundance. Thus, following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2022), the new species is categorized as Data Deficient (DD).

Notes:— Aspidistra yachangensis is similar to A. retusa K.Y.Lang & S.Z.Huang in Lang (1981: 379) in color and shape of the flowers, but clearly differs by the narrowly oblanceolate leaves, 56–94 × 4.5–6 cm (vs. rectangular or rectangular lanceolate, 20–35 × 3–6.5 cm), stamens inserted in the middle (vs. at one-third of the upper part) of perianth tube, distally reaching or just below (vs. far above) the top of stigma, pistil obconical (vs. clavate), stigma 3–4 mm (vs. 1.5 mm) in diameter.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Aspidistra longjiangensis (star), A. erythropoecila (triangle), A. duanensis (circle), A. yachangensis (halfmoon) and A. polypetala (diamond).

FIGURE 5. Aspidistra yachangensis: (A) habit; (B) flowers; (C) flower longitudinally dissected showing stamens and pistil; (D) flower lateral view; (E) flower with 6 lobes; (F) flower with 8 lobes; (G) fruit; (H) pistil; (I) stigma top view (6-merous); (J) stigma top view (8- merous); (K) flowering plant.