Aspidistra extrorsa C.R. Lin & D.X. Nong, 2018

Nong, Dong-Xin, Huang, Yu-Song & Lin, Chun-Rui, 2018, Aspidistra extrorsa (Asparagaceae), a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 349 (2), pp. 192-196 : 192-195

Aspidistra extrorsa C.R. Lin & D.X. Nong , sp. nov. ( Figs. 1 , 2 )

Type: — CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jingxi county, on limestone hill, from the plant cultivated at Guilin Botanical Garden , 27 November 2011, Chun-Rui Lin 1034 (holotype IBK!) .

Herb perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 8–10 mm thick, covered with scales, nodes dense. Vaginal leaves 5–6, purplish red, 1–10 cm long, becoming fibrous remnants covering the stem. Leaves paired or occasionally solitary, 5–10 mm apart; petiole stiffly upright, 7–24 cm long, 2–3 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade narrowly lanceolate, 48–62 × 2–2.5 cm, dark green, base cuneate, gradually narrowing into a petiole, apex acuminate, margin entire. Peduncle decumbent or declining, purplish red to dark purple, 2–4 cm long, with 3–4 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, the two uppermost at base of perigone broadly ovate–cucullate, purplish red, ca. 10 × 12 mm, obtuse at apex. Flowers solitary; perigone campanulate, fleshy, 27–32 mm long, 17–20 mm wide; lobes 6, slightly recurved, abaxially purple-red, adaxially yellow and with purple-red mottled at base, triangular–lanceolate, 15–18 mm long, 7–8 mm wide at base, apex acuminate, and each with 4 prominent verrucose longitudinal keels, 2 median keels extending down to the base of the tube, each lateral keel fusing with the adjacent one; tube 12–15 mm long, 16–18 mm in diameter, reddish to dark purplish red; stamens 6, opposite to perigone lobes, inserted at the bottom of the tube, closely attached to the pistil base, filaments upright, enlarged, ca. 3 mm long and ca. 2 mm in diam., anthers yellow, extrorse, elliptic, ca. 3 mm long, 2 mm wide; pistil ca. 5 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style white, cylindrical, ca. 3 mm long, 1 mm in diameter, stigma peltate, ca. 4 mm in diameter, upper surface purplish red, shallowly convex and with 3 radial, bifurcate deep grooves, 3-lobed with undulate margins. Flowering in November to December.

Etymology: The species name refers to the extrorse anthers of the species.

Distribution and ecology: This new species is currently known from Jingxi county, southwestern Guangxi. It grows on limestone slopes, under evergreen broad-leaved forests at an elevation about 850 m.

Relationship: The new species mostly resembles Aspidistra tenuifolia C.R. Lin & J.C. Yang in Meng et al. (2014: 289), A. alata Tillich in Tillich et al. (2007: 336) and A. cyathiflora Wan (1989: 101) with linear leaves and similar flower. A detailed comparison to distinguish the three species is presented in Table 1 . In addition, the new species is also similar to A. cyathiflora var. bifolia Aver., Tillich & K.S. Nguyen in Nguyen et al. (2017: 482), but the new species have larger perigone, 27–32 mm long, 17–20 mm wide (vs. 10–13 mm long and wide), and adaxially with 4 prominent keels (vs. smooth).

Other specimens seen (paratype): CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jingxi county, Dizhou town, 800 m elevation, on limestone hill, 10 November 2016, Dong-Xin Nong 0292 ( GXMG!) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidistra extrorsa C.R. Lin & D.X. Nong (A) flowering plant; (B) flower, upper view; (C) perigone, longitudinally dissected to show stamens; (D) stigma, upper view; (E) pistil; (F) stamen; (G) dissected flower showing stamens and pistil. Drawn by Wenhong Lin based on the holotype.

FIGURE 2. Aspidistra extrorsa C.R. Lin & D.X. Nong: A– E (A) flower, upper view; (B) habit; (C) flower, lateral view; (D) dissected flower showing stamens and pistil; (E) stigma, upper view. Aspidistra tenuifolia C.R. Lin & J.C. Yang: F–G (F) flower, upper view; (G) stigma, upper view.