Aspidistra magnifica N.S.Lý, K.S.Nguyen & S.T.Hoang, 2021

Lý, Ng ọc-Sâm, Nguyen, Khang Sinh, Hoàng, Thanh-Sơn, Đ ỗ, Văn-Nhân & Tillich, Hans- Juergen, 2021, Aspidistra magnifica (Asparagaceae), a new species from Central Vietnam, Phytotaxa 480 (1), pp. 22-28 : 23-26

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/phytotaxa.480.1.2
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6D642862-FFEB-5D79-8CE0-FCC6FBDAFAAD
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Aspidistra magnifica N.S.Lý, K.S.Nguyen & S.T.Hoang
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Aspidistra magnifica N.S.Lý, K.S.Nguyen & S.T.Hoang View in CoL sp. nov. Figs. 1 View FIGURE 1 & 2 View FIGURE 2 .

Similar to A. maguanensis but differs by its somewhat elliptic leaf blades, short flowering peduncles, much larger broadly campanulate to bowl shaped perigone tube, longer outcurved perigone lobes and larger rounded stigma.

Type:― VIETNAM. Quảng Ngãi Province , Trà B ồng District, Trà Tây Commune, Vàng Village, Mount Cà Ðam, Nước Biếc stream, 15°9’13.40”N, 108°27’51.25”E, 900 m a.s.l., 23 July 2017, Lý Ngọc Sâm, Lý-807 (holotype VNM, isotype P) GoogleMaps .

Perennial rhizomatous herb, up to 105 cm tall. Rhizome creeping, unbranched, epigeous, with dense short internodes, 8–10 mm in diam., brownish, with many swollen roots, up to 40 cm long, 4–5 mm in diam. Cataphylls 3–4, oblong to ovate-oblong, up to 20–25 cm long, the inner ones longer than the outer ones near the base, dark purple to purple, whitish near base, later straw-brown. Leaves solitary, 0.8–3.5 cm apart, distinctly divided into petiole and lamina, petiole stiff, 34.5–62 cm long, light green, ventrally with shallow v-shaped furrow, basally slightly swollen 5–9 mm in diam., greenish-white, sometimes with purplish blotch, lamina elliptic to oblanceolate-elliptic, unequal, 39.3–63.2 × 8.5–13 cm, attenuate at both ends, adaxially dark-green, semi-glossy, abaxially light green, semi-glossy, mid vein strongly prominent on abaxial surface, each half of lamina with 6–10 prominent secondary veins, between them 8–10 fine tertiary nerves with numerous anastomoses, somewhat prominent at lower surface, margin very minutely serrate. Flowers (1‒)2‒3, usually obliquely upright, sometimes horizontal, with a slight fragrance. Peduncle stout, thick, erect or obliquely upwards, rarely horizontal, 5.8–7.2 cm long, 4–5 mm in diam., whitish at basal third, bright purple distally, basally with 2–3 triangular ovate scales, 6–8 × 10–15 mm, distally with 2–3 larger broadly oblong-ovate scales adjacent to flower, 15–17 × 21–22 mm, scales externally bright purple with dark-purple at apical part, internally whitish at basal half, tinted purple distally, densely purple dotted at dorsal surface, with 9–18 inconspicuous nerves, slightly prominent on outer surface, apex rounded with a mucro ca. 1 mm long. Perigone tube broadly campanulate to bowl-shaped, fleshy, 18–22 mm tall, 40–45 mm wide, externally purple-red, finely tiny verrucose, internally purple-black, densely verrucose at upper half, 12-lobed apically, lobes unequal, deflexed, narrowly ovate, apex obtuse, arranged indistinctly in 2-whorls, lobes (16–) 18–22 mm long, (6–) 8–13 mm wide at base, each with 3–4 strongly prominent keels, 2.5–3 mm high, running from the lower half of adaxial side of perigone lobes to the upper half of inner surface of perigone tube, adaxially purple-black, semi-glossy and irregularly foveolate, abaxially purple-black to reddish-purple, with thin marginal edges ca. 0.3 mm wide, tube wall 2.5–3 mm thick, lobes 3–3.5 mm thick near base. Stamens 12, radially arranged at more or less flat base of tube, at the same radii with lobes, completely hidden below stigma, anthers sessile, sunken in tube wall, oblong-ovate, 4.2–5 mm long, 2–3 mm wide near the base, yellow, latrorse, thecae separated by cream-whitish connective tissue, without a connective appendage, pollen golden-yellow. Pistil table-shaped, 5–7 mm tall, ovary indistinct, style stout, very short cylindrical, 1–1.5 mm long, 5–6 mm in diam., dark-purple; stigma fleshy, disc shaped, circular, 25–26 mm in diam., filling nearly completely the base of tube, flat with slightly downcurved margin, upper surface smooth at centre, peripherically with numerous fine radiate ridges, white, lower surface darkpurple, purple at margin, with radiate ridges. Fruiting peduncles stiff, 5.8–6.3 × 0.4–0.5 cm, purple, glabrous; mature fruit berries, subglobose, without spines, ca. 15 × 12 mm, deeply black, semi-shiny, corrugated with prominently longitudinal stripes. Seed wedge-shaped, 1.3–1.5 × 0.9 –1 cm, pale cream.

Phenology:— Aspidiatra magnifica was observed flowering and/or with mature fruits in mid July in natural habitat which led us predict that the fruit development takes about May-June, ripe fruits in August to October.

Distribution and Ecology:— Currently known only from the type locality on Mount Cà Ðam, with two subpopulations of scattered mature clumps of non-flowering and flowering plants. For this reason, we believe it can be considered as an endemic locally abundant species. It grows on hill slopes composed of sandstone at 830–1000 m a.s.l., under the canopy of lower primary evergreen broad-leaved forests.

Conservation status:— Endangered EN B2ab(ii, iii) D. Two small subpopulations, with a total of 20 mature individuals of A. magnifica were found in a total area of occupancy of less than 5 km 2 on Mount Cà Ðam. Although this species is under the protection of the local authority of Trà Bồng District, Quảng Ngãi Province, these populations are, however, vulnerable and may be impacted by a continuous decline of habitat area, extent and quality. Indeed, this habitat is compromised by destructive human activities, such as harvesting of timber and non-forest products, especially clearing of forest land for Acacia Mill. (1754: 25) plantations and paddy fields. According to the IUCN Red list criteria ( IUCN 2019), this qualifies it as Endangered EN B2ab(ii, iii) which is therefore proposed here. Further field work of the area around mount Cà Ðam is needed to understand the situation better and amend the conservation status.

Etymology:―The specific epithet refers to the magnificent flower.

Additional specimens examined (Paratypes):— VIETNAM. Quảng Ngãi Province , Trà B ồng District, Trà Tây Commune, Vàng Village, Mount Cà Ðam, Nước Biếc stream, 15°9’7.77”N, 108°27’50.04”E, 833 m a.s.l., 23 July 2017, Lý Ngọc Sâm, Lý-808 ( VNM); ibidem, Trà Tân Commune, 15°11’3.59′N, 108°31’19.73” E, 388 m a.s.l., 29 July 2017, SƠn, Nhân, H ồng 354 ( VAFS) GoogleMaps .

Similar species:— Aspidistra magnifica is most similar to A. maguanensis He & Lv in Xu et al. (2017: 147) from Gulinqing town, Maguan county, Yunnan, China, in having purple-black flowers, twelve perigone lobes and stamens, lobes with four keels, table-shaped pistil. It differs by leaf blades 0.8–3.5 cm apart, elliptic to oblanceolate-elliptic, short flowering peduncles 5.8–7.2 cm long, much larger campanulate to bowl-shaped perigone tube 4–4.5 cm in diam. at mouth (3–3.5 cm at base), larger and out-curved perigone lobes (1.6–)1.8–2.2 × 1–1.3 cm, larger and rounded stigma 2.5–2.6 cm in diam., adaxially flattened at the centre and rough at the distal half. Aspidistra maguanensis is easily distinguished from the new species by the leaves close to each other, and with oblong blades and longer petioles (60– 75 cm long), longer flowering peduncles 10–12 cm long, smaller cupulate perigone tube, ca. 2.5 cm in diam., smaller and erect or slightly outcurved perigone lobes 1–1.2 × ca. 0.7 cm, smaller and rounded-hexangular stigma, 1.6–1.8 cm in diam. A detailed comparison of A. magnifica to A. maguanensis is presented in Table 1.