Cinnamomum guizhouense C.Y.Deng, Zhi Yang & Y.Yang, 2022

Yang, Zhi, Deng, Chaoyi, Wang, Lulu, Ban, Qiming & Yang, Yong, 2022, A new species of Cinnamomum (Lauraceae) from southwestern China, PhytoKeys 202, pp. 35-44 : 35

publication ID

https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.202.76344

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/D1E2DAE3-0D1D-5EF6-B864-76C14D598483

treatment provided by

PhytoKeys by Pensoft

scientific name

Cinnamomum guizhouense C.Y.Deng, Zhi Yang & Y.Yang
status

sp. nov.

Cinnamomum guizhouense C.Y.Deng, Zhi Yang & Y.Yang sp. nov.

Figs 1 View Figure 1 , 2 View Figure 2

Type.

China. Guizhou, Wangmo Co., Jiaona Tw., Babu Village , Liji Sect., 25°21'8"N, 106°17'44" E, elev. 1081 m, 20 Feb 2021, C.Y. Deng & Q.M. Ban 2021001 (holotype: NF; isotypes: NF, NAS, XIN) GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Cinnamomum guizhouense is close to C. foveolatum (Merr.) H.W.Li et J.Li ( Li et al. 2008: 170) in having leaves that lack domatia in the axils of the lateral leaf veins and in the long fruiting cupule, but differs from the latter by the longer leaves (12-21 cm vs. 9-15 cm in C. foveolatum ), longer petioles 2-4 cm long (vs. 1-1.3 cm in C. foveolatum ), longer tepals (3-4 mm long vs. 1.7-2 mm long in C. foveolatum ), and shorter campanulate or cup-shaped cupules ca. 15 mm long (vs. cupules up to 20 mm long in C. foveolatum ).

Description.

Trees, evergreen, 11-13 m tall, D.B.H. ca. 36 cm (Fig. 1a View Figure 1 ); crown columnar to pyramid shaped, ca. 3 m in diam. Trunk straight; bark gray, longitudinally fissured. Twigs angular, glabrous, with multiple circular scale scars at base of twigs. Terminal buds prominent, to 2.5 cm long, 1.5 cm in diam. (Fig. 1b View Figure 1 ); bracts many (to 15), obovate to oblanceolate, apex obtuse, acute to cuspidate, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous, margin ciliate. Leaves alternate; petioles glabrous, channeled abaxial, 2-4 cm long (Figs 1c-e View Figure 1 , 2a View Figure 2 ); blade coriaceous, elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 6-9 × 12-21 cm, base acute to cuneate, more or less decurrent, apex acuminate, pinnately veined, secondary veins 5-7 pairs, midrib and secondary veins immersed or slightly raised on adaxial surface, elevated on abaxial surface; adaxially green, abaxially glabrous and glaucous. Panicles terminal (Figs 1c View Figure 1 , 1f View Figure 1 , 2a View Figure 2 ), 7-10 cm long, peduncles, pedicels and tepals pubescent, lateral flowers of ultimate cymes opposite, pedicels 4-6 mm long. Flowers bisexual, receptacle prominent, obconic, ca. 1 mm long, 1 mm in diam.; perianth in two whorls, tepals 6-8, subequal, oblong-elliptic to linear, 3-4 mm long, 1 mm wide, both surfaces pubescent, margin ciliate (Figs 1g View Figure 1 , 1h View Figure 1 ); stamens in three whorls, 3 or 4 in each whorl, 1.5-2 mm long, filaments subequalling anthers, glabrous, each stamen of third whorl with two globose glands at base; anthers yellow, 4-locular, those of outer two whorls introrse, those of third whorl extrorse (Figs 1i-1k View Figure 1 , 2d-2e View Figure 2 ); staminodes of fourth whorl sagittate, filaments pubescent (Fig. 2f View Figure 2 ); pistil glabrous, ovary ovoid to ellipsoid, 1.2 mm long, ca. 0.8 mm in diam., style glabrous, ca. 1 mm long, stigma peltate when fresh, inconspicuous when dry (Figs 1l View Figure 1 , 2g View Figure 2 ). Infructescences 6-15 cm long. Young fruit together with cupules obovoid-ellipsoid,15-20 mm long, 13-17 mm in diam., 3/4 or more of fruit enclosed in cupule (Fig. 1m View Figure 1 ). Fruit black when mature, cupulate, cupules campanulate to cup-shaped, ca. 1.5 cm long, 1.5 cm in diam. (Fig. 1n View Figure 1 , 2i View Figure 2 ); pedicels thickened, 4-6 mm in diam.; seeds ellipsoid to subglobose (Fig. 2J View Figure 2 ), ca. 1 cm long, 8 mm in diam., yellowish-brown, longitudinally ridged. Flowering February; fruiting September and October.

Etymology.

The species is named after the province, Guizhou, where it occurs.

Distribution.

Cinnamomum guizhouense is known only from Wangmo Xian, Guizhou Province, southwestern China (Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ).

Ecology and habitat.

The new species lives in bamboo ( Phyllostachys sp.) colonies in acidic soil with mean annual temperature 13-15 °C, annual precipitation 1000-1200 mm. It is heliophilous and lives on western slopes. The species lives near a village road with human disturbance, and the disturbance will not stop unless a new nature reserve is established to conserve the species. The species has an extremely small population, and only two individuals were found in the region. The living individuals occupy an area (EOO, ≈ AOO) ca. 100 m2.

Conservation.

On four instances of field investigations in the area, we found only two mature plants living within ca. 100 m2. We thus designate the species to be Critically Endangered (CR B1+2ab(iii); C1+2a(i); D) according to the IUCN red list categories and criteria ( IUCN 2012, 2022), but we acknowledge that further assessments are necessary as new populations are found.

Vernacular name.

The local people refer to C. guizhouense as Da Mu Jiang Zi (big Litsea ), which is not in accordance with its formal taxonomic position. Here we name it Guizhou Cinnamon.

Additional specimens examined.

China. Guizhou, Wangmo Xian, Jiaona Tw., Babu Village, Liji Section , 25°21'8"N, 106°17'44"E, elev GoogleMaps . 1081 m, 20 Feb 2021, C.Y. Deng & Q.M. Ban 2021002 (NF, XIN), 2021003 (NF, XIN); 21 Oct 2020, C.Y. Deng et al. 2020102111 (XIN); 20 Oct 2020, C.Y. Deng & J.B. Xu 2020102802 (XIN); 10 Jun 2021, C.Y. Deng & Q.M. Ban 2021061001 & 2021061002 (XIN).

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Laurales

Family

Lauraceae

Genus

Cinnamomum