Pyrenaria rostrata ( Chang 1983: 106 ) Yang (1997: 285)

Zeng, You-Pai & Xu, Ye-Chun, 2025, Reinstatement of the independent specific status of Pyrenaria rostrata (Theaceae) from China, Phytotaxa 701 (3), pp. 287-293 : 288-292

Pyrenaria rostrata ( Chang 1983: 106) Yang (1997: 285) . Figs. 1 , 4 .

Basionym:— Tutcheria rostrata Chang (1983: 106) .

Type:— CHINA: Guangdong: Yangchun city, from Heweishan to Sanchahe , in sparse forest on mountain ridge, 19 October 1957, W.T. Lin 30962 (holotype SYS (not seen); isotype PE00024541 !). Fig. 1A .

Description:—Shrubs ca. 3 m tall. Young branches yellowish brown to grayish brown; current year branchlets glabrous. Petiole 1–1.8 cm long; leaf blade elliptic, 9–14 × 3–5 cm, leathery, both sides green, sparsely pubescent when young but soon glabrescent, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 7–9 on each side of midvein, base cuneate, margin obtuse-serrate, apex acute to obtuse. Flowers axillary, solitary, 5–7 cm in diam. Pedicel 1.5–4.5 cm long, glabrous; bracteoles 2, broadly ovate, 2–2.5 × 1.5–2 mm, outside densely yellow sericeous. Sepals 5, suborbicular to broadly ovate, 5–7 mm in diam., leathery, outside yellowish sericeous, margin membranous, apex rounded. Petals 5 or 6, yellow, obovate to elliptic, 2–3 × 1.2–1.5 cm, outside yellowish sericeous, inside glabrous, margin membranous, apex emarginate. Stamens numerous, ca. 1 cm long, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally slightly connate and adnate to petals. Ovary glabrous, 3-loculed with 1–2 ovules per locule; style single, glabrous. Capsule triangular-pyramidal, base rounded, apically rostrate, 1.5–2 cm in diam., 3–4 cm long, dehiscent from base; pericarp 1–5 mm thick when dry, woody, glabrous. Seeds brown, oblong, laterally compressed, ca. 1.5 cm long.

Phenology:—Flowering from May to June; fruiting from July to November.

Distribution and habitat:— Pyrenaria rostrata is currently known only from its type locality, i.e. Yangchun city in southwestern Guangdong, China. It grows in sparse forests on mountain ridge at elevations of 100‒ 400 m.

Additional specimens examined:— CHINA. Guangdong: Yangchun, Z.X. Li 19 (IBSC), H.G. Ye et al. 6628 (IBSC).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Specimens of Pyrenaria rostrata. A. Isotype of P. rostrata, China, Guangdong, Yangchun, W.T. Lin 30962 (PE). B. Same locality, Z.X. Li 19 (IBSC); inset: close-up of the capsule, showing the glabrous surface. C. Same locality, H.G. Ye et al. 6628 (IBSC); inset: close-up of the capsule, showing the glabrous surface. D. Same locality, H.G. Ye et al. 6628 (IBSC).

FIGURE 4. Pyrenaria rostrata in the wild (China, Guangdong, Yangchun, the type locality). A. Habit. B. Flowering branch. C. Lateral view of flower. D. Front view of flower. E. Capsules.A‒D: photographed by You-pai Zeng; E: photographed by Ye-chun Xu.