Magnolia pilocarpa Z.Z. Zhao & Z.W. Xie var. ellipticifolia (D.L. Fu, T.B. Zhao & J. Zhao) C.B. Callaghan & S.K. Png, 2020

Callaghan, Christopher B. & Png, Siak K., 2020, Twenty-six additional new combinations in the Magnolia (Magnoliaceae) of China and Vietnam, PhytoKeys 146, pp. 1-35 : 1

Magnolia pilocarpa Z.Z. Zhao & Z.W. Xie var. ellipticifolia (D.L. Fu, T.B. Zhao & J. Zhao) C.B. Callaghan & S.K. Png comb. nov.

Basionym.

Yulania pilocarpa (Z.Z. Zhao & Z.W. Xie) D.L. Fu var. ellipticifolia D.L. Fu, T.B. Zhao & J. Zhao. In: D.L. Fu et al., Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 27(5): 526; figs. 1C-D (2007).

Chinese name.

椭圆叶罗田玉兰 meaning "elliptical-leaved Luotian yulan"

Type.

CHINA. Henan Province: Xinzheng City, 23 March 2002, T.B. Zhao et al. 200203231 (holotype: HEAC, flos. n.v.). Same locality, 21 September 2002, T.B. Zhao et al. 200209211 (paratype: HEAC, folia, ramulus et peruli-alabastrum; n.v.).

Yulania pilocarpa (Z.Z. Zhao & Z.W. Xie) D.L. Fu. In: Xia et al. (2008: 76), p.p. quoad syn. Yulania pilocarpa var. ellipticifolia D.L. Fu et al.

Yulania denudata var. pilocarpa (Z.Z. Zhou & Z.W. Xie) Sima & S.G. Lu. In: Sima (2011: 163), p.p. quoad syn. Yulania pilocarpa var. ellipticifolia D.L. Fu et al.

Note 1.

The genus Yulania Spach ( Spach 1839) was resurrected in Flora of China ( Xia et al. 2008), but there has not been universal acceptance of this in China, with Yulania again recognised as a subgenus under Magnolia (Ying et al. 2009, Yang et al. 2016).

Note 2.

Yulania pilocarpa var. ellipticifolia is sufficiently distinguished from Y. pilocarpa to maintain its varietal status by the following features: indumentum of the branchlets (densely pubescent, later glabrous vs. glabrous [Law et al. 2004: 93]); the leaf shape (elliptical, rarely inverted-triangular vs. obovate to broadly obovate [Law et al. 2004]) and the shape and size of the inner 6 tepals (petaloid, 5-7 × 2-3.2 cm vs. nearly spathulate, 7-10 × 3-5 cm [Law et al. 2004]). Additionally, the two taxa are geographically isolated (central Henan Province vs. SE Hubei Province). The illustration of the leaves accompanying the original description of Yulania pilocarpa var. ellipticifolia ( Fu et al. 2007: fig.1D) shows them to be in stark contrast to the leaves of Magnolia pilocarpa illustrated in Liu et al. (2004: 93).