Aspidistra chongzuoensis C.R.Lin & Y.S.Huang, 2015

Huang, Yu-Song, Zeng, Wei-Bo, Zhu, Fang & Lin, Chun-Rui, 2015, Aspidistra chongzuoensis (Asparagaceae): a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 208 (3), pp. 231-235 : 231-234

Aspidistra chongzuoensis C.R.Lin & Y.S.Huang sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2A–H )

Type: — CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Chongzuo city, Jiangzhou district, Taiping town, Nonglou, limestone areas, 22°29’28’’N, 107°18’41’’E, alt. 240 m, 13 January 2014, Yu-Song Huang & Wei-Bin Xu CZ0274 (holotype IBK!).

Herbs perennial, evergreen. Rhizome creeping, epigeous, subterete, 5–6 mm thick, densely covered with nodes, roots numerous. Sheathing leaves 4–5, pale green, 1–6 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, fibrous when withered. Leaves solitary, 0.5–1 cm long spaced; petiole rigid, adaxially sulcate, 4.5–12 cm long, 2–3 mm in diam.; leaf blade elliptic to oblong, 14–22 cm long, 5–8 cm wide, dark green with pale green spots, apex acuminate, base widely cuneate, margin entire. Peduncle short, 5–10 mm long, bracts 4–5, two of them adnate to flower base, broadly ovate, 6–8 mm long, 8–10 mm wide, pale green, apex obtuse. Flower solitary; perigone campanulate, ca. 15 mm long, abaxially white and with purple mottled at the upper parts, adaxially purplish black except white at the bottom of perigone tube; lobes 8 (occasionally 7), explanate, ovate-triangular, apex rounded, distinctly 2-whorled, lobes of outer whorl 5–7 mm long, 5–8 mm wide at base, those of the inner whorl smaller, adaxially with 4–6 keels at base; tube 10–12 mm long, 13–15 mm in diam. Stamens 8, opposite to lobes, inserted in base of perigone tube, filaments ca. 1 mm long, anthers oblong, white or pale yellow, ca. 2 mm long and 1.5 mm wide. Pistil mushroom shaped, 7–8 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style white, cylindrical, 4–5 mm long, ca. 2 mm in diam., stigma enlarged and thickened, ca. 3 mm thick, upper surface flat and glabrous, white, ca. 10 mm in diam., with 4 inconspicuous radial, bifurcate lines in center, irregularly undulate 16-lobed at margin, lower surface purplish black. Fruit subglobose, ca. 10 mm in diam., apex beaked. Flowering from October to December, fruiting mature in January next year.

Distribution and ecology: —This new species is currently known only from Chongzuo city in southwestern Guangxi, China. It grows on limestone slopes, in evergreen broad-leaved forests, at elevation about 240 m, associated with species Ficus hispida L., Trevesia palmata (Roxb. ex Lind.) Vis. , Peliosanthes macrostegia Hance , Excoecaria venenata Lee & Wei , Ophiorrhiza subrubescens Drake , Ophiopogon sp. , Disporopsis longifolia Craib and so on.

Taxonomic relationships: — Aspidistra chongzuoensis ( Figs. 1 , 2A–H ) is similar to A. papillata (Li 2003: 382) in the shape of the flower, but differs by smaller plants and flowers, perigone 15 mm long, lobes usually explanate, tube 13–15 mm in diam., stigma thickened to 3 mm, upper surface flat and glabrous, white, no papillate, irregularly undulate 16-lobed at margin ( Figs. 2I–J ). Aspidistra chongzuoensis is also similar to A. bicolor Tillich (2005: 317 , Figs. 2K–L ) in some aspects. However, the latter species has larger flowers, perigone lobes usually recurved, stamens inserted at 2–3 mm above of tube base, stigma adaxially slightly convex and 3-lobed at margin, lobes bent downward. A detailed comparison of the three species is presented in Table 1.

Additional specimen studied (paratype):— CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guilin County,

Yanshan, from the type locality, cultivated, 30 November 2014, Chun-Rui Lin 1052 (IBK!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidistra chongzuoensis. A, Habit; B, Perigone, dissected to show stamens and pistil; C, Stigma, adaxial view; D, Pistil; E, Fruit. (Drawn from the holotype by Wen-Hong Lin).

FIGURE 2. Aspidistra chongzuoensis: A–H. A, B. Flowers; C. Bud; D. Flower lateral view; E. Fruit; F. Perigone, half of perigone removed to show stamens and pistil; G. Pistil; H. Stigma, adaxial view; A. papillata: I–J. I. Flower; J. Perigone, half of perigone removed to show stamens and pistil; A. bicolor: K–L. K. Stigma, adaxial view; L. Flower.