Alseodaphnopsis maguanensis L.Li & J.Li, 2020

Li, Lang, Tan, Yun-Hong, Meng, Hong-Hu, Ma, Hui & Li, Jie, 2020, Two new species of Alseodaphnopsis (Lauraceae) from southwestern China and northern Myanmar: evidence from morphological and molecular analyses, PhytoKeys 138, pp. 27-39 : 27

Alseodaphnopsis maguanensis L.Li & J.Li sp. nov. Figs 2 , 3

Diagnosis.

Alseodaphnopsis maguanensis is morphologically similar and phylogenetically closely related to A. rugosa , but can be distinguished by its much larger fruit (4-5 × 5-6 cm vs. ca. 2.5 × 3 cm), mature fruit color (brown vs. deep purple or black) and different fruiting phenology.

Type.

China. Yunnan Province: Maguan County, Houcao, Gulinqing Provincial Natural Reserve, in tropical montane forest, 800 m a.s.l., 14 May 2016, flowering, Lang Li et al., GLQ26 (holotype: HITBC!).

Description.

Trees evergreen, up to 20 m tall. Branchlets terete, 3-6 mm in diameter, grayish, glabrous, wrinkled, with lenticels and leaf scars. Terminal buds glabrous. Leaves clustered at apex of branchlet, alternate or subverticillate; petiole robust, 2-3 mm thick, 1.5-2.5 cm long, concave-convex; leaf blade green adaxially, glaucous abaxially when young but green or pale green when mature, oblong-obovate or oblong-oblanceolate, 12-32 × 3.5-9 cm, leathery, glabrous on both surfaces, midrib conspicuously elevated abaxially, impressed adaxially, lateral veins 8-12 pairs, veins and veinlets conspicuous, reticulate, elevated on both surfaces when dry, base cuneate, apex shortly acuminate. Panicles subterminal, clustered at apex of branchlet, 15-20 cm, many-flowered; peduncle 4.5-10 cm, glabrous. Pedicels slender, 5-8 mm, glabrous. Perianth lobes 6, glabrous outside, white pubescent inside, outer ones broadly ovate, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, acute, inner ones broadly ovate, ca. 2.5 × 2 mm, acute, all deciduous when in fruit. Fertile stamens 9, ca. 2 mm in 1st and 2nd whorls, ca. 2.2 mm in 3rd whorl; filaments villous, almost as long as anthers in 1st and 2nd whorls, slightly longer than anthers in 3rd whorl, those of 3rd whorl each with 2 shortly stalked orbicular-cordate glands, others glandless; anthers of 1st and 2nd whorls ovate, with 2 upper smaller cells and 2 lower large cells, cells all introrse, anthers of 3rd whorl elliptic, with 4 extrorse cells. Staminodes conspicuous, ca. 1.5 mm, sagittate, stalked. Ovary ovoid, ca. 1.2 mm, glabrous, attenuate into a ca. 0.8 mm long style; stigma discoid, inconspicuous. Infructescence subterminal, 10-18 cm, robust, glabrous, with only one well-developed fruit. Fruit large, oblate, 4-5 × 5-6 cm, immature fruit green, brown when mature, fruit stalk robust, 3-4 mm in diameter, apex dilated, 5-10 mm in diameter, sometimes nearly cylindric, fleshy and warty when fresh.

Phenology.

Flowering from May to June and fruiting from July to September.

Etymology.

The species is named after the type locality, Maguan County, in Yunnan Province, China.

Distribution and habitat.

Currently known only from the type locality in Maguan, Yunnan Province, southwestern China. Tropical montane forests in valleys; ca. 800m.

Preliminary conservation status.

Currently, A. maguanensis is only known from Maguan (Yunnan Province, China) with two populations, which are all located in a small natural reserve (ca. 71 km2), each population with less than 50 mature individuals (seedlings can be found near the mature individuals), and no other occurrence in adjacent regions of SE Yunnan and N Vietnam. Thus, the preliminary conservation status for A. maguanensis is suggested as critically endangered (CR C2a(i)) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2012).

Additional specimen examined (paratype).

China. Yunnan Province: Maguan County, Shangba, Gulinqing Provincial Natural Reserve, in tropical montane forest, 800 m a.s.l., 28 August 2016, fruiting, Lang Li et al., 2016033 (HITBC!).

Figures

Figure 2. Alseodaphnopsis maguanensis A habitat B branchlet with inflorescences C branchlet with mature fruit, immature fruit. Photographed by Lang Li.

Figure 3. Alseodaphnopsis maguanensis A outer perianth lobe (inside view) B inner perianth lobe (inside view) C third whorl stamen D pistil E flowering branch F second whorl stamen G staminode H first whorl stamen I flower (lateral view). Illustration by Ling Wang from Mo et al. (2017 b).