Aspidistra xiaoyunii C.R. Lin, B.M. Wang & Yan Liu, 2023

Lin, Chun-Rui, Xu, Wei-Bin, Huang, Yu-Song, Wang, Bing-Mou & Liu, Yan, 2023, Four new species of Aspidistra (Asparagaceae) from southern China, Phytotaxa 587 (2), pp. 121-135 : 130-133

Aspidistra xiaoyunii C.R. Lin, B.M. Wang & Yan Liu , sp. nov. ( Fig. 7 , 8 )

TYPE:— China. Guangdong, Shengzhen city, Qiniang Mountain, Dapeng Peninsula , in evergreen broad-leaved forests, rare, 28°43’18” N, 106°18’50” E, alt. 750–800 m, 20 May 2019, Bin-Mou Huang & Chun-Rui Lin, 1320 (holotype: IBK!, isotype: IBK!, IBSC!) .

Diagnosis:— Aspidistra xiaoyunii is similar to A. gracilis Tillich in Tillich & Averyanov (2012: 206) with the flower shape, but clearly distinguished by its leaf blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 18–32 cm long, 4–6.5 cm wide, stamens inserted at the base of perianth tube, around the base of style, stigma enlarged, dome-shaped, 5–7 mm high, style ca 2 mm long, significantly shorter than stigma.

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, epigeous, subterete, 5–7 mm diam., covered with scales, nodes dense. Roots numerous. Vaginal leaves 5–7, purple-red, up to 7 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, becoming black-brown when dry. Leaves solitary, 1–2 cm apart; petiole stiff, upright, 15–45 cm long, 2–3 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade usually oblong to oblong-lanceolate, 18–32 cm long, 4–6.5 cm wide, dark green, scattered with small yellow-white spots on both surfaces, apex acuminate, base cuneate to narrowly cuneate, gradually narrowed into petiole, inequilateral, margin serrulate, with midvein prominent at abaxial surface and 3–4 inconspicuous secondary veins on lower surface. Peduncle arising from the nodes of apical part of rhizome, erect or declining, pale green with purplish red spots to dark purplish red, 1.5–10 cm long, with 5–7 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, the distal ones at base of perigone broadly ovate, with purplish red spots density, 8–10 mm long, 10–14 mm wide, apex subobtuse. Flower solitary, perigone campanulate, fleshy, externally greenish-white and with purplish red spots with increasing density from base to top, sometimes completely blackish purple-red, 18−22 mm tall, 8 lobed apically; lobes usually suberect, sometimes slightly excurved, subequal, ovate-triangular, 5–7 mm long, 6–8 mm wide at base, apex obtuse, internally purplish red mottled to completely blackish purple, densely verruculose, each lobe basally with 2–4 light keels and run down to the lower part of perianth tube; tube 14–16 mm long, 16–20 mm in diam., internally blackish purple-red and shallowly verruculose. Stamens 8, opposite to lobes, inserted at the base of perianth tube, around the base of style, positioned lower than stigma; filaments ca. 1 mm long, white, anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm long and 1 mm wide, pollen yellow. Pistil mushroom-shaped, 7–9 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style cylindrical, ca 2 mm long and 1 mm in diam., stigma enlarged, cream-white, fleshy, dome-shaped, 5–7 mm high, 7–10 mm in diameter, upper surface nearly flat, slightly with 4 radial, bifurcate lines, its margin with 16 small longitudinal ribs, lower surface purplish red mottled. Berry subglobose, 12–15 mm in diam, green with purple tinge, surface sparsely irregular tuberculate. Flowering from April to May, fruiting from May to June the following year.

Etymology:— The specific epithet is derived from Xiao-Yun Wang, who has collected the new species of Aspidistra for the first time during field trips. The Chinese name is given as“ ãṈƦṚDZDz ”(pinyin: shçn zhèn zhî zhű bào dàn).

Distribution and ecology:—At present, Aspidistra xiaoyunii is only known from Dapeng Peninsula, Shenzhen city in south central Guangdong, under the shrubs at the top of mountain, in evergreen broad-leaved forests, rare.

Similar species:— Aspidistra xiaoyunii is similar to A. gracilis with the flower shape, but differs by its petiole 15– 45 cm long (vs. 15–20 cm), leaf blade oblong to oblong-lanceolate (vs. narrowly lanceolate), 25–36 × 5–8.5 cm (vs. 25–30 × 2.0– 2.5 cm), stamens inserted at the base of perianth tube, around the base of style (vs. ca. 2mm from the base of style), stigma enlarged, dome-shaped, 5–7 mm high (vs. 4 mm), style ca 2 mm long (vs. 6 mm), significantly shorter than stigma (vs. style nearly as long as or longer than stigma). The new species also close to Aspidistra punctata , but can be easily distinguished by the petiole lobes usually suberect and slightly excurved sometimes (vs. obviously bend outward), and shorter than perianth tube (vs. lobes nearly as long as tube), stigma significantly longer than style (vs. stigma nearly as long as or shorter than style).

Additional specimens examined (paratype):— CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: Guilin City, Botany Garden of Guilin , taken to cultivation from the type locality, 22 April 2022, Chun-Rui Lin 1496 ( IBK) .

Pollen morphology:— The pollen grains are subspherical and inaperturate, pollen size is (26.00–) 29.60 (–32.94) × (25.88–) 27.55 (–29.41) μm ( Fig. 9G ). Pollen with verrucate exine, the verrucous surface is smooth and closely arranged ( Fig. 9H ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Aspidistra xiaoyuni sp. nov.: (A) flowering plant; (B) berry; (C) flower, side view; (D) pistil; (E) perigone, dissected to show pistil and stamens. (Drawn by Qui-Lan Lu)

FIGURE 8. Aspidistra xiaoyunii sp. nov.: (A–B) flowers; (C) berry; (D) flower, upper view; (E) flower, side view; (F) flower with half of perianth removed showing stamens and pistil; (G) perianth dissected opened to show stamens and pistil; (H) stamens side view; (I) stamens, lower view; (J) stigma, upper view.

FIGURE 9. Pollen morphology of Aspidistra under SEM: (A–B) A. shiwandashanensis; (C–D) A. ovatianthera; (E–F) A. yunbiaoi; (G–H) A. xiaoyunii.