Alpinia austrosinense (D. Fang) P. Zou & Y.S. Ye, 2016

Zou, Pu, Ye, Yu-Shi & Liao, Jing-Ping, 2016, Alpinia austrosinense (Zingiberaceae), a new combination from China and its relationship with A. pumila, Phytotaxa 255 (2), pp. 175-178 : 176

Alpinia austrosinense (D. Fang) P. Zou & Y.S. Ye , comb. nov. ( Fig. 1 ).

Basionym :— Amomum austrosinense D. Fang (1982: 136) .

Type:— CHINA. Guangxi — Hunan: Gupo Shan, Yeji Ao, elev. ca. 1000 m, 19 June 1967, Z. R. Huang & D. Fang 66456 (holotype GXMI!).

Paratypes:— CHINA. Guangxi: Jinxiu County, Xiaomushan , 22 May 1979, B. Q. Pan & D. H. Qin 64927 ( GXMI!) ; Quanzhou County, Dongshan Xiang , elev. ca. 650 m, 28 August 1974, X. G. Lü & D.Fang 7287 ( GXMI!) ; Rongshui County, Gandong Xiang , 26 May 1981, X. H. Lu 8146 ( GXMI!) ; Hexian County, Gupo Mountain , elev. ca. 450 m, 31 October 1960, J. Q. Ge & X. Z. Zheng 12258 ( GXMI!) ; Fuchuan County, Chaodong District, Shigu Xiang , 15 June 1967, Z. R. Huang & D.Fang 14386 ( GXMI!) ; Wuming County, Daming Mountain , 29 November 1976, D.Fang 22594 ( GXMI!) .

Description:— Perennial herbs, 29–50 cm tall. Rhizomes decumbent, 0.2–0.6 cm in diameter. Leafy shoots 11–13 cm long, 11–15 cm between neighboring leafy shoots, each with 1–3 leaves, usually two. Ligule 0.1–0.7 cm long, puberulent, apex bilobed, green. Petiole 0.5–5 cm long, puberulent. Lamina 10–40 × 3.5–11 cm, green, narrowly elliptic or oblong, rarely ovate to oblanceolate, glabrous except puberulent along midvein, shiny in the sunlight; base cuneate to broadly so, sometimes oblique, margin densely ciliate, apex acuminate. Spike arising from the rhizome near or far from the pesudostem base, 7–22 cm long, usually one; covered 1–3 spatulate involucral bracts when immature; flowering part ovoid to globose, 3–6 cm; peduncle 4–16 × 0.3–0.4 cm, with scales, pubescent; bracts obovate or oblong, 1.2–1.5 cm × 0.5–0.8 cm, brown, papery, persistent, subtending one or three flowers; bracteoles obovate or oblong, red but usually dried and turn brown when flowering, papery, persistent. Calyx tubular, 3-toothed, split on one side, 1.6–1.8 cm long, white basally, pink or purple distally, puberulent. Corolla tube 1.8–2.0 cm, puberulent; lobes white, tinged reddish, oblong, 1.5 cm × 0.5 cm, membranous. Labellum white with red stripes, obovate, 1.0– 1.3 cm × 0.7–0.9 cm, margin coarsely serrate, apex 2-lobed. Lateral staminodes red, oblong or linear, 0.5–0.6 cm. Filament flat, ca. 0.5 cm long, procumbent, pale pink. Anther oblong, ca. 1.0 cm long, anther crest absent, apex emarginated, pale pink, with sparse short hairs. Stigma funnel-shaped, pale pink, apex ciliated. Ovary cylindrical, ca. 0.5 × 0.2 cm, green, densely pubescent, trilocular, placentation axile. Capsule globose, indihiscent, 0.8–1.4 cm in diameter, red, pubescent, apex with persistent calyx; Seeds irregularly angular, brown; aril white, fully enclosing the seed.

Distribution:— Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, and Jiangxi.

Phenology:— Flowering in May–June; Fruiting in August–November.

Chinese name:— ΞΘldz (san ye shan jiang).

Additional specimens examined:— CHINA. Guangdong: Lechang County, Jiufeng District, Jiangyuan Xiang and Yangdong Xiang , elev. ca. 900 m, 8 August 1986, B. Y. Chen 2763 ( IBSC!) ; Lianshan County, Hedonghuang shan, elev. ca. 900 m, 7 May 1999, F. Y. Zeng 238 ( IBSC!) ; Lianshan County, Shangshuai Zhen, Jinji shan, elev. ca. 1200 m, 11 May 2000, H. G. Ye 3552 ( IBSC!) ; North of Guangdong, Wuzhishan , 14 July 1982, X.X.Huang s.n. ( IBSC!) ; Yangshan County, Lutian District, Yangjiaokeng , 1 September 1985, Nanling Expedition 1525 ( IBSC!) ; Guangxi: Jinxiu County, Jinxiu Xiang, Yunla Village , elev. ca. 1100 m, 20 September 1959, Q. H. Lü 4401 ( KUN!) ; Jinxiu County, Jinxiu Xiang , 22 September 1959, Q H. Lü 4190 ( KUN!) ; Fuzhong County, Hongqi Xiang, Yangbei , Laomushan , 26 September 1959, Z. T. Li 603901 ( IBSC!) ; Linggui County, Huangshan Xiang , 2 June 1958, Z. Z. Chen 50837 ( KUN!) ; Jinxiu County, Luo Xiang , 22 May 1931, S. S. Sin 20330 ( IBSC!) ; Jinxiu County, Luo Meng , 10 May 1931, S. S. Sin 22094 ( IBSC!) ; Zhaoping County, Nanrong Xiang, Gonglun Ling , 11 August 1957, C. Z. Jiang & M. S. Xia 4300 ( IBSC!) ; Hezhou, Gupo Mountain, Yeji Ao , elev. ca. 902 m, 24°38.932 ′ N, 111°32.994 ′ E, 12 May 2015, P. Zou ZP 15 ( IBSC!) ; Hezhou, Gupo Mountain, Yeji Ao , elev. ca. 682 m, 24°38.106 ′ N, 111°33.125 ′ E, 12 May 2015, P. Zou ZP 16 ( IBSC!) ; Guizhou: Leishan County, Shuizai , 15 June 1974, s.n. 74- 627 ( IBSC!) ; Tongren, Fanjin Mountain, near Macao River , elev. ca. 950 m, 13 June 1956, T. P. Zhu & Z. F. Liu 1139 ( KUN!) ; Leishan County, Fangxiang Xiang , 23 May 1959, Qiannan Expedition 01537 ( KUN!) ; Hunan: Dongkou County, Naxi Xiang, Dabusai , elev. ca. 520 m, 27 June 1986, C. X.Deng 71 ( IBSC!) ; Jianghua County, Helukou Xiang , elev. ca. 800 m, 30 October 1975, B G. Li & S. B. Wan 05261 ( KUN!) ; Tongdao County, 23 October 1988, T. C. Chen 1301 ( IBSC!) ; Wugang, Yunshan Nature Reserve, Fenghuang ling, elev. ca. 890 m, 19 April 1997, Y. F. Deng 10345 ( IBSC!) ; Zhijiang County, Muyexi Xiang , August 1988, Wuling Expedition 1645 ( IBSC!) ; Jiangxi: Jinggang Mountain , elev. ca. 800 m, 27 May 1965, S. K. Lai et al. 3839 ( KUN!) .

Discussion:— Amomum austrosinense was described by Fang (1982) based on collections from the Gupo shan between Guangxi and Hunan, China. The protologue of this species indicates that it differs from Amomum dolichanthum Fang (1978) in having only one to three leaves (vs. 3–5); scape 7–22 cm long (vs. 1–6 cm long); flower 3.5–4 cm long (vs. 11 cm long); and anther thecae inconspicuous (vs. anther thecae very large). After a careful examination of the type specimens and of living collections, we found that Amomum austrosinense does not have anther crest, the lateral staminodes are big and its fruits are capsule, globose, smooth but pubescent, with a persistent calyx; these characteristics are very similar to those of Alpinia pumila . In fact, Fang (1982) had mentioned in the protologue that this species had been identified as Alpinia pumila in many herbaria. However, there are differences between these two species, as we discussed above ( Table 1). Based on these morphological differences, it would be better to place Amomum austrosinense in the genus Alpinia .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A, B, D, F, H, Alpinia austrosinense; C, E, G, I, A. pumila (Ginger Garden, South China Botanical Garden, Academy of Sciences, 2 April 2015, P.Zou & Y.S.Ye ZP21 IBSC).A, habitat; B, flowering plant, showing spatulate involucral bracts; C, flowering plant; D, inflorescence; E, inflorescence; F, fruits (photo by Ms. Huang Rui-Lan); G, fruits; H, flower dissection; I, flower dissection.