Ophiopogon ximengensis H.Z. Feng & Q.W. Lin, 2025

Hao, Jia-Chen, Feng, Hui-Zhe, Tan, Kun, Liu, Li-An & Lin, Qin-Wen, 2025, Ophiopogon ximengensis, a new species from Yunnan, Southern China, Phytotaxa 684 (2), pp. 243-253 : 243-251

Ophiopogon ximengensis H.Z. Feng & Q.W. Lin , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Type:— CHINA. Yunnan Province: Ximeng County, Longtan, 22.63700542° N, 99.59343682° E, alt. 1223 m a.s.l., humid and shady areas in thicket along lakes, 12 June 2023, Q. W. Lin, K. Tan & J. H. Xiao 2023-0369 (holotype: PE!).

Diagnosis:—Sharing recurved perianth lobes, this new species closely resembles Ophiopogon griffithii (Baker) Hooker (1892: 270) ( Fig. 2 & 3 ). It is, however, distinguishable by several key features: shorter and broader (10–25 × 2–3 cm vs. 30–60 × 0.8–1.2 cm), more distinctly inequilateral leaf blades, denser inflorescences usually with a tuft of 2 or 3 flowers (vs. solitary flower) in axils of bracts and shorter internodes (ca. 0.5 vs. 1–1.5 cm long), and more strongly recurved, internally unspotted (vs. basally purple-spotted) white perianth lobes.

Description:—Herb perennial, evergreen, terrestrial, tufted, glabrous, shortly rhizomatous. Rhizomes subterranean, horizontal or ascending, flexuose, knobby, simple or branched 2–3 mm thick, short or up to 10 cm long; knobs (tubers) (4–)5–6(–8), spindle or ovoid, erect or suberect, 2–4 cm high, producing numerous roots, apically covered with cataphylls and bases of leaves. Roots proximally cordlike, slender, 1.5–2 mm in diameter, up to 30 cm or more with shortly lateral fibrous roots puberulent when young. Cataphylls several, imbricate, lanceolate or ensiform, 4–7 cm long, 7–12 mm wide, apex obtuse, outer surface usually purple, margin with scarious wings. Leaves 14–35 cm long, distinctly petiolate; petioles 8–15 cm long, ca. 2 mm wide, margin usually with narrowly white scarious wings; leaf blades distinctly inequilateral, narrowly oblong to somewhat sword-shaped, 10–25 × 2–3 cm, thick chartaceous and soft, base attenuate, apex acute to subacute, adaxial surface glossy, light green when young, becoming darker green with age, abaxially silver-glaucous; longitudinal veins fine, 21–24 including midrib which is flat on both surfaces, green; leaf margins entire. Flowering stem (including peduncle and rachis) sub-erect to ascending, 8–15 cm long, often flushed with purple; peduncle subterete, slightly flattened, 2–3 mm in diameter, basally covered with several imbricate sterile bracts ca. 2.5 × 0.8 cm, transparent, sheath-like, in the middle part usually with 1–3 sterile bracts which is ascending, broadly ovate to deltoid-ovate, ca. 0.8 × 0.5 mm. Inflorescence racemose, densely with 15–30 flowers; rachis 4–10 cm long, usually with a tuft of 2 or 3 (sometimes one) flowers in axils of bracts; flowers secund, cernuous, broadly campanulate, ca. 10.5 mm across when fully opened; bracts cymbiform, broadly ovate, 8–10 × 4–5 mm, apex acute to obtuse, abaxially dirty bluish purple to almost black purple, with three longitudinal veins, adaxially dull white, margins membranous to scarious, bracteoles 1 or 2, similar to bracts but smaller; pedicels 5-6 mm long including lower stalky part of perianth (true pedicels, excluding perianth part, 1.9–2.7 mm long), articulate in lower part. Perianth lobes 6, oblong, 8–9.5 × 2–2.5 mm long, strongly recurved, externally white, pinkish white, or flushed with purple or maroon along margins, internally unspotted (vs. basally purple-spotted) white. Stamens 6, free, straight, connivent and surrounding the style; filaments, very short; anthers nearly linear, attenuate, 5.5–6.5 mm long, greenish-yellow, base somewhat hastate, apex acuminate. Pistil 1, white; style filiform, straight, ca. 6–7 mm long. Seeds not seen.

Etymology:—The specific epithet of the new species refers to its type locality Ximeng Va Nationality Autonomous

County, locating in the Awa Mountains in the southwest of Yunnan Province, China.

Phenology:—Flowering in June.

Habitat and conservation status:—Usually on humid and shady areas, under primary or secondary broad-leaved evergreen forests, or along valleys. Elevation 1100–1250 m a.s.l. locally common. Estimated IUCN Red List status— LC.

Distribution:—Currently known only from the type locality, S Yunan.

Taxonomic relationships:—As mentioned in the Diagnosis, Ophiopogon griffithii is regarded as closely related to the newly described O. ximengensis . However, there are still several issues worth discussing regarding O. griffithii and its synonym O. revolutus F.T. Wang & L.K. Dai in Wang & Tang (1978: 253).

Ophiopogon griffithii was classified by Hooker based on Flueggea griffithii Baker (1879: 502) , with only a single specimen cited in the protologue (W. Griffith 5839, K: K000846093 image!, from Upper Assam, India). Hooker (1892) noted that it is a very distinct species with elliptic petioled leaves; however, the type specimen lacks flowers. Consequently, O. griffithii has remained a little-known species for a long time due to the absence of a description of its floral structure.

Ophiopogon revolutus was descried from southern Yunnan, China. Based on the protologue and type specimens, it is obviously closely related to O. griffithii , sharing similar morphology features. However, Yang and Li (1990) and Yang (1997) recorded O. griffithii from southwestern Yunnan, and accepted both O. griffithii and O. revolutus to be different species.

Tanaka (1999) re-described and revised the species based on flowering specimens from Myanmar (R.J. Swinhoe 57, K: K003735076 image!) and Yunnan, China (A. Henry 12171A, E: E00115774 image!, K: K002894732 image!, NY: 03958128 image!; A. Henry 12171, K: K002894733 image!, NY: 03958129 image!), believing that the leaves of this species are papery, blue-gray on the back, the anthers are fused laterally, forming a cylindrical or finely tapered tubular structure, and the tepals have varying degrees of recurvature. Tanaka also treated O. revolutus as a synonym of O. griffithii , and thought there is no difference in their basic characteristics and flower structure.

Tanaka's redefined O. griffithii has a large variation in leaf width and shape. Some specimens have narrow linear leaves while others have relatively wide, narrow elliptical or narrow rectangular leaves, similar to the type specimen. We examined the specimens Y.H. Li 11687 (HITBC: HITBC049452 image!) and J.H. Zhang 19261 (HITBC: HITBC049451 image! and IBSC: 0745420 image!) identified as O. griffithii and the other specimens identified as O. revolutus (see below) by Yang and Li, and found that these specimens, despite their ariety in leaf size and shape, are still within the variation range of O. griffithii redefined by Tanaka. Therefore, we agree with Tanaka's treatment of O. revolutus as a synonym of O. griffithii , as the concept followed by Averyanov et al. (2015a), and Pham et al. (2023). It is worth mentioning that there are illustrations of O. griffithii from Laos by Averyanov et al. (2015a: 87), which are identical to those from China ( Figs. 4 & 5 ).

Ophiopogon ximengensis , with its strongly reflexed tepals, closely resembles O. griffithii ( Fig. 4 & 5 ). However, it can be clearly distinguishable by several features: shorter and broader (10–25 × 2–3 cm vs. 30–60 × 0.8–1.2 cm), more distinctly inequilateral leaf blades, denser inflorescences usually with a tuft of 2 or 3 clustered flowers (vs. solitary flower) in axils of bracts and shorter internodes (ca. 0.5 vs. 1–1.5 cm long), and more strongly recurved, internally unspotted (vs. basally purple-spotted) white perianth lobes.

The new species is also similar in gross vegetative characters to Ophiopogon pingbienensis F.T. Wang & L.K. Dai in Wang & Tang (1978: 251) ( Fig. 6 & 7 ). However, O. pingbienensis is currently known from Pingbian County, Yunnan Province and N. Vietnam ( Averyanov et al. 2020), and exhibits distinct characteristics that differentiate it from the new species. These include thick and short tuber-like rhizomes, smaller and somewhat coriaceous leaf blades (5.5–9 × 1.5–2 cm vs. 10–25 × 2–3 cm) with fewer veins (13 vs. 21–24), shorter inflorescences (6–10 cm vs. 8–15 cm long) with fewer flowers (6–10 vs. 15–30), slightly expanded (vs. strongly recurved) perianth lobes, and distinctly separated (vs. connivent) anthers.

Recently, Averyanov et al. (2020) recorded O. pingbienensis from N. Vietnam (Cao Bang, Ha Giang, Lai Chau provinces). After we checked the some relevant specimens they listed and the photos they illustrated ( Averyanov et al. 2020), we speculated that some specimens identified as O. pingbienensis in N. Vietnam (e.g. L. Averyanov et al. CPC 7419, L. Averyanov et al. VR 999, L. Averyanov et al. CPC7469/14427) maybe belong to an unknown species of the genus Ophiopogon because the blades thick leathery (vs. papery), the joint was located at the lower part of the pedicel (vs. located in the middle), the corolla was contracted and urceolate (vs. fully open, campanulate), the tepals were thick and fleshy, the stamens were sessile, and the anthers triangular (vs. the anthers were narrow and long, 6 mm long and 1 mm wide). And we are preparing to publish it as a new species. But other specimens (e.g. V.D. Nguyen et al. LC-DKT-054, L. Averyanov VR900.1, L. Averyanov et al. VR1815, N.L. Orlov & L.K. Ioganssen), are more consistent with those collected from Yunnan, China in morphology and should belong to O. pingbienensis .

Selected representative examined:— Ophiopogon griffithii . CHINA. Yunnan: Menglian, Anonymous 6751 (HITBC: HITBC049384!). Mengla, Z.H. Yang 12065 (HITBC: HITBC049383!), Mengla Exped. 34720 (HITBC: HITBC049381!), Yiwu Road 12 km, J.H. Zhang 19261 (HITBC: HITBC049451!). Ophiopogon revolutus . CHINA. Yunnan: Anonymous s.n. (PE: 00291482!); Fehai, C.W. Wang 74516 (PE: 00291480!); Jinghong, Kunke, fr. C.W. Wang 79252 (PE: 00291481!& KUN: 224830!); Jinghong, Manya, C.W. Wang 79057 (PE: 00291478!); Jinghong,Youluoshan, C.W. Wang 78065 (paratype: PE: 00291479! & PE: 00036194!); Jinghong, Damenglong, C.W. Wang 78286 (paratype: PE: 00036195!). Menghai, J.J. Li 3254 (KUN: 125036!), Z. Hua 2302 (KUN: 224832!); Jinghong, Kunluo Road, P.Y. Mao 6861 (KUN: 224836!); Mengla, Yiwu, Menglun , Anonymous 13193 (KUN: 224838!), Kongmingshan, S.J Pei 59-10303 (KUN: 224839!); Mengla, Mengla Exped. 5328230434 (IMDY: IMDY0031528 image!); Mneghai, Bada- Manmai, S.R. Guo s.n. (IMDY: IMDY0023774 image!). Ophiopogon pingbienensis . CHINA. Yunnan: Sino-Soviet Exped. s.n. (PE: 00291603!). Pingbian, C.W. Wang 82757 (PE: 00291602!), Daweishan, Sino-Soviet Exped. 3965 (PE: 00036189!). VIETNAM. Cao Bang Province: Thong Nong District, L. Averyanov et al. CPC 5473 (LE: LE01049862 image!). Ha Giang Province: Bac Me District, L. Averyanov et al. CPC 7419, L. Averyanov, CPC 7419/TM 1082/13395 (LE: LE01048627 image!); L. Averyanov et al. CPC 7469, L. Averyanov CPC 7469/14427 (LE: LE01048622 image!). Quan Ba District, L. Averyanov et al. VR500 (LE: LE 01061420 image!); L. Averyanov et al. VR 999 (LE: LE01054182 image!); L. Averyanov et al. VR1462 (LE: LE 01061011 & LE: LE01066962 image!); L. Averyanov et al. VR500 (LE: LE01067178 image!); L. Averyanov VR900.1 (LE: LE01124816 & LE: LE 01254645 image!). Lao Cai Province: Sa Pa District, V.D. Nguyen et al. LC-DKT-054 (LE: LE01123965 image!); L. Averyanov et al. VR1815 (LE: LE01169640 image!). Lai Chau Province: Tam Duong District, N.L. Orlov & L.K. Ioganssen, s.n. (LE: LE01049109 image!).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ophiopogon ximengensis.A. Plants in habitat; B, H, I & K. Inflorescence; C & D. Habit; E. Bracts, bud and flower; F.Abaxial side of leaf blade; L. Blades; G. Floral parts detached, flower and bud; M. Root.

FIGURE 3. Ophiopogon griffithii. China. Yunnan, Szemao (=Simao), A. Henry 12171 & A. Henry 12171A.

FIGURE 4. Ophiopogon revolutus (=O. griffithii) from Jinghong, Yunnan, China. A. Habit; B. Floral parts detached; C, D, E, F & G. Inflorescence; H. Pistil; I. Portion of inflorescence; J. Stamens and pistil. Photo by X.X. Zhu.

FIGURE 5. Holotype, isotype and paratypes of Ophiopogon revolutus.

FIGURE 6. Holotype of Ophiopogon pingbienensis.

FIGURE 7. Ophiopogon pingbienensis from Jinping, Honghe, Yunnan, China. A. Habit; B. Inflorescence; C. Portion of inflorescence. Photos by X.X. Zhu.