Aspidistra luochengensis B.Pan & C.R.Lin, 2019

Pan, Bo, Qin, Ying & Lin, Chun-Rui, 2019, Aspidistra luochengensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 387 (2), pp. 172-176 : 172-173

Aspidistra luochengensis B.Pan & C.R.Lin , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 & 2A–F ).

Type: — CHINA. Guangxi: Luocheng county, Longan town, Wuhua village , elev. ca. 141 m, rare in a valley on limestone hill, 24 November 2017, Bo Pan PB 20170028 (holotype IBK!; isotypes IBK!, GXMG!)

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 5–8 mm thick, covered with scales, nodes dense. Vagina leaves 5–6, purple-red, 1–7 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, becoming black-brown when dry. Leaves solitary, 1–1.5 cm apart; petiole 1–5 cm long, ca. 2 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade usually narrow lanceolate, 28–42 × 2.5–3.5 cm, dark green with small yellow-white spots on both surfaces, base cuneate, gradually narrow into petiole, inequilateral, apex acuminate, margins sparsely serrulate above middle. Peduncle decumbent or declineing, purplish red, 1.5–4 cm long, with 5–6 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, the most basal one of perianth broadly ovate-cucullate, purplish red, 6–8 × 6–7 mm, apex acuminate. Flowers solitary; perianth obconical campanulate, fleshy, 14–16 mm long, slightly 8-lobed apically; lobes unequal in shape, dark purplish red, ovate–triangular, 6–8 × 4–5 mm, apex tapering into acuminate and usually recurved, adaxially densely papillose and scabrous, with spurlike basal protuberances; tube 11–12 mm long, distal opening 7–8 mm diam., purplish red with yellowish white at base; Stamens 8, opposite to lobes, inserted at upper third of perianth tube, filaments ca. 1 mm long, anthers lineate, pale yellow, ca. 4 × 1 mm, distally reaching stigma level or slightly lower than stigma; Pistil obconical, purplish red with white at base, ca. 10 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style distally gradually widened to stigma, stigma subrotund, 5–6 mm in diam., white and densely papillose adaxially, upper surface slightly concave and with 4 fine radial, bifurcate grooves, 4-lobed at margin, lobes subequal and emarginated at apex. Flowering from October to November.

Distribution and ecology: — Aspidistra luochengensis is currently only known from the type locality in Luocheng county, northern Guangxi, China. It grows under broad-leaved evergreen forests, in shaded rocky limestone slopes at elevation range of 120– 250 m.

Taxonomic relationship: —The new species is similar to Aspidistra obconica C.R.Lin & Yan Liu in Lin et al. (2010: 263; Fig. 2G–H ) with the perianth obconical campanulate, stamens inserted at upper third of perianth tube, however, it can be clearly distinguished by perigone lobes 6–8 mm long (vs. 3–4 mm long), adaxial densely papillose and scabrous (vs. glabrous), apex acuminate and recurved (vs. rounded and incurved), stigma upper surface slightly concave (vs. flat). In addition, A. luochengensis shows narrower and longer leaf blade. It is also similar to A. chishuiensis S.Z.He & W.F.Xu in Xu et al. (2010: 118; Fig. 2I ) in the shape of the flower, but the latter species strongly differs in leaf shape, perianth lobes shape and length, stamens size and should not be considered as a closely related species. A detailed comparison to distinguish the three species is presented in Table 1.

Additional specimens exmamined (paratype): — CHINA. Guangxi: cultivated in Guilin Botanical Garden, Guilin city, Yanshan township, introduced by Bo Pan from the type locality, 14 November 2017, Chun-rui Lin 1066 (IBK!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidistra luochengensis B.Pan & C.R.Lin: (A) habit; (B) flower; (C) perigone, dissected to show stamens and pistil; (D) pistil; (E) stigma, apical view.

FIGURE 2. Aspidistra luochengensis B.Pan & C.R.Lin, A–F: (A) habit; (B) flowers; (C) flower, apical view; (D) flower, lateral view; (E) pistil; (F) perigone, dissected to show stamens and pistil. A. obconica C.R.Lin & Yan Liu, G–H: (G) flower; (H) perigone, dissected to show stamens and pistil. A. chishuiensis S.Z.He & W.F.Xu, I: (I) perigone, dissected to show stamens and pistil.