Aspidistra polypetala C.R.Lin & Yan Liu

Lin, Chun-Rui, Lu, Zhao-Cen, Pan, Bo, Wan, Xin-Yu, Xu, Wei-Bin & Liu, Yan, 2024, Five new species of Aspidistra (Asparagaceae) from Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 652 (2), pp. 100-114 : 110-112

5. Aspidistra polypetala C.R.Lin & Yan Liu , sp. nov. ( Fig. 6 )

Type:— CHINA. Guangxi: Baise City, Lingyun County, Jiayou Township, around point 24.5565° N, 106.6583° E, at elevation about 650 m, not common, 17 November 2022, Chun-Rui Lin & Ren-Kun Li 1599 (holotype: IBK00461683 , isotype: IBK00461684 ).

Diagnosis:— The new species resembles A. flaviflora in yellow flowers, but clearly distinguished by the narrowly oblanceolate leaves, 48–90× 3.8–6 cm, perianth lobes up to 10–12, urceolate tube 15–18 mm in diameter, stigma margin flat.

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 8–10 mm in diameter, covered with scales, nodes dense. Roots elongate. Leaf sheath 4–5, dark purplish red, to 18 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, becoming blackish brown and fibrous when withered. Leaves solitary, 1–2 cm apart; petiole stiffly upright, 14–36 cm long, 2–3 mm in diameter, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade narrowly oblanceolate, 48–90 cm long, 3.8–6 cm wide, green, sometimes with small white spots, base cuneate, gradually narrowing into a petiole, inequilateral, apex acuminate, mid vein strongly prominent on abaxial surface, secondary veins 6–8 pairs, margin serrulate near apex. Peduncle ascending, white with purplish red spots, 12–20 mm long, with 4–6 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, the most basal bracts of perianth broadly ovate-cucullate, purplish red, 12–14 mm long, 16–18 mm wide, apex subobtuse. Flower solitary; perianth urceolate, fleshy, deep 10–12 lobed apically; lobes explanate, narrowly triangular, 6–8 mm long, 2–3 mm wide at base, apex acuminate, yellow both sides; tube 7–8 mm long, 15–18 mm in diameter, outside yellow, inside upper half purplish red and the lower half yellow. Stamens 10–12, opposite to lobes, inserted in the middle of perianth tube, positioned lower than stigma, filaments white, 1–1.5 mm long, anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm long and 1–1.5 mm wide, pollen yellow. Pistil shield shaped, 3–4 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style white and short, 1.5–2.5 mm long and 2–2.5 mm in diameter, stigma enlarged, 3–4 mm in diameter, upper surface purplish red, with 4–6 Y-shaped white lines in center, shallowly 4–6 lobed at margin, each lobe margin irregularly wavy, lower surface white.

Phenology:— Flowering from November to December.

Etymology:— The specific epithet ‘ polypetala ’ is derived from the perianth with up to 12 lobes, while most species have 6 or 8 perianth lobes in the genus Aspidistra . The Chinese name is given as ‘ 多ṱǵƦḂã ’(Chinese pinyin: duō bàn zhī zhū bào dàn).

Distribution and ecology:— Aspidistra polypetala is currently known only from Lingyun County, northwest Guangxi, China ( Fig.1 : diamond). It grows at the foot of the mountain and by the stream, in shady area of evergreen forest with abundant exposed rocks, not common.

Additional specimens examined (paratype): — CHINA. Guangxi, Guilin City, Botany Garden of Guilin, cultivation, from the same source as the holotype, 2 November 2023, Chun-Rui Lin 1875 (IBK00461685).

Conservation status:— Aspidistra polypetala have observed a small population in its type locality with estimation of less than 100 individuals, the forest inhabited by the new species is next to the village and not included in any protected area, the species is at risk of threatening due to agricultural activities. However, we consider the data incomplete, and the new species is categorized as Data Deficient (DD) according to the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2022).

Notes:— Within the genus Aspidistra , yellow flowers are not common and known species such as A. longipedunculata D.Fang in Chen & Fang (1982: 77), A. flaviflora K.Y.Lang & Z.Y.Zhu in Lang & Zhu (1982: 482), A. cerina G.Z. Li & S.C. Tang in Li & Tang (2002: 289), A. hezhouensis Qi Gao & Yan Liu in Gao & Liu (2011: 1), A. laongamensis C.R.Lin & X.Y.Huang in Huang et al. (2018:393), A. xichouensis Lei Cai, Z.L.Dao & G.W.Hu in Cai et al. (2020: 143), A. thuongiana Vislobokov, Nuraliev, V.C.Nguyen & V.T.Pham in Pham et al. (2021: 261), and so on. Among these species with yellow flowers, the new species is most similar to A. flaviflora , but most easily distinguished by the narrowly oblanceolate (vs. oblong) leaves, 48–90 cm (vs. 19–30 cm) long, flowers odorless (vs. fragrant), perianth lobes 10–12 (vs. 5–6), perianth tube urceolate (vs. campanulate) and 15–18 mm (vs. 7–8 mm) in diameter, pistil shield shaped (vs. disc-shaped, funnel-shaped when dry), stigma flat (vs. involute) and irregular 4–6 (vs. 3 or 6) lobed at margin.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution map of Aspidistra longjiangensis (star), A. erythropoecila (triangle), A. duanensis (circle), A. yachangensis (halfmoon) and A. polypetala (diamond).

FIGURE 6. Aspidistra polypetala: (A) habit; (B) flowering plant; (C, D) flower apical view; (E, F) flower lateral view; (G) pistil; (H) flower longitudinally dissected showing stamens and pistil; (I) bracts; (J, K) stigma top view; (L) stigma bottom view.