Aspidistra foetida C.R. Lin, L.L. Zou & B. Pan, 2025

Zou, Ling-Li, Pan, Bo & Lin, Chun-Rui, 2025, Aspidistra foetida (Asparagaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China, Phytotaxa 698 (4), pp. 294-300 : 295-296

Aspidistra foetida C.R. Lin, L.L. Zou & B. Pan , sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Type:— CHINA. Guangxi: Hezhou city, Babu district, Kaishan town, limestone mountains, on shady slopes, 111.74° E, 24.75° N, alt. 420 m, 21 February 2024, Bo Pan & Chun-Rui Lin, 1999 (holotype: IBK, isotype: IBK).

Additional specimens examined (paratype):— CHINA. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region: Guilin City, Botany Garden of Guilin, cultivation, 12 March 2019, Chun-Rui Lin 1300, 27 January 2025, Chun-Rui Lin & Ling-Li Zou 2059 ( IBK, cultivated plant collected by Bo Pan pb0070 from Hezhou city, Babu district, Kaishan town, 9 August 2016).

Diagnosis:— The new species is similar to A. cruciformis Y. Wan & X.H. Lu , but clearly distinguished by its leaf blade margin entire, flowers spread a peculiar smell, perianth urceolate, lobes lanceolate, 8–10 mm long, nearly equal to the length of tube; stigma smaller, Ø 6–7 mm, nearly equal to half the width of tube, upper surface nearly round and densely purplish red finely papillose, shallowly 8 (6)-lobed at margin.

Description:— Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 8–9 mm thick, covered with scales, densely nodal, roots numerous. Leaf sheaths 4–5, dull reddish brown, up to 12 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, becoming black-brown and fibrous when withered. Leaves solitary, 1–2 cm apart; petiole stiff upright, 18–32 cm long, 2–3 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade usually elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 24–36 cm long and 6–7.5 cm wide. dark green, base cuneate, inequilateral, apex acuminate, margin entire, mid vein strongly prominent on abaxial surface, each half of lamina with 5–7 inconspicuous secondary veins. Peduncle suberect or declining, purplish red or white with purplish red spots, 1–2 cm long, with 4–5 bracts, the two bracts at the base of perianth broadly ovate, white with purplish red spots to purplish red, 7–11 mm long, 14–16 mm wide, apex obtuse. Flowers solitary at the top of the peduncle, with a peculiar smell; perianth urceolate, fleshy, deeply 8 (occasionally 6)-lobed apically; lobes usually explanate, purplish red on both abaxial and adaxial sides, subequal, lanceolate or narrowly triangular, 8–10 mm long and 4–5 mm wide at base, obtuse at apex, each with 2–3 parallel keels at base; tube 10–12 mm long, 13–15 mm in diameter, outside white with purplish red stripes to purplish red, inside dark purplish red at the upper of the perianth tube, white at the bottom half of the tube, often with purplish red stripes nearly the filaments; Stamens 8 (occasionally 6), opposite to lobes, inserted at 2–3 mm from the base of perianth tube, positioned lower than stigma, filaments 1–1.5 mm long, anther oblong, 2–3 mm long and 1.5–2 mm wide, pollen pale yellow. Pistil peltate, 4–5 mm long, ovary inconspicuous, style white, cylindrical, 2–3 mm tall, ca. 2 mm in diameter, stigma 6–7 mm in diameter, upper surface nearly round and densely purplish red fine papillose, the central part slightly convex and with 4 (occasionally 3) indistinct, radial lines, shallowly 8 (occasionally 6) lobed at margin, each lobes nearly circular and with a white groove, margin slightly rolled up, lower surface white.

Phenology:— The new species was observed flowering from January to March.

Etymology:— The specific epithet ‘ foetida ’ is derived from the flowers spread a peculiar smell. The Chinese name is given as ‘ 异味fieDzā ’(Chinese pinyin: yì wèi zhī zhū bào dàn).

Distribution and ecology: —The new species is currently only known from the type locality in Babu district, Hezhou city, eastern Guangxi, China. It grows in shaded rocky limestone slopes at elevation range of 380– 450 m. Living plants introduced from the type locality are currently cultivated in Guilin Botanical Garden.

Conservation status: — Aspidistra foetida was only found from the type locality with three populations with about 300 individuals, and where the habitat was in good condition. The further detailed investigation of the same habitats is also needed to give a better understanding of its natural distribution and abundance. Thus, following the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria ( IUCN 2022), it is provisionally assessed as Data Deficient (DD).

Notes:— Aspidistra foetida is similar to A. cruciformis Y. Wan & X.H. Lu (1987: 217, fig. 1), but differs by the leaf blade margin entire (vs. denticulate), flowers can give off a peculiar smell (vs. no smell), perianth urceolate (vs. campanulate), inside glabrous (vs. papillose), deeply (vs. shallowly) 8-lobed apically, perianth lobes lanceolate (vs. triangle), 8–10 mm (vs. 5–6.5 mm) long, each with 2–3 parallel keels (vs. without keels) at base, stigma smaller and nearly equal to half (vs. whole) the width of the tube, upper surface nearly round (vs. cross-shape) and densely finely papillose (without papillose), shallowly 8 (6)-lobed (vs. deeply 4-lobed) at margin. The new species also close to Aspidistra leyeensis Y. Wan & C.C. Huang (1987: 129, fig. 2) in floral morphology, but differs by the leaf blade elliptic (vs. narrowly lanceolate), flowers can give off a peculiar smell (vs. no smell), perianth urceolate (vs. campanulate), inside glabrous (vs. papillose), pistil less than (vs. greater than) half the length of tube, stigma smaller and nearly equal to (vs. greater than) half the width of the tube, upper surface densely finely papillose (without papillose), the central part slightly convex (vs. 4 dimples). A detailed comparison of the three species is presented in Table 1.

There are very few species of flowers in Aspidistra that spread a recognizable smell. In addition to A. foetida , there are also species such as A. hezhouensis Qi Gao & Yan Liu (2011:506) and A. tenuifolia C.R. Lin & J.C. Yang ( Meng et al. 2014:289) spread an unpleasant smell, such as A. dolichanthera X.X. Chen in Chen & Fang (1982: 77), A. longipedunculata D. Fang in Chen & Fang (1982: 78), A. flaviflora K.Y. Lang & Z.Y. Zhu (1982: 485) , A. stricta Tillich (2005: 322) and A. campanulata Tillich (2007: 337) with very pleasant fragrance, and such as A. longipetala S.Z. Huang (1986: 273) that spread a mushroom fragrance. It is speculated that these smell may be related to pollination in the Aspidistra .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidistra foetida: (A) Flowering plant; (B) Flower side view; (C) Perianth, dissected to show stamens and pistil; (D) Pistil; (E) Stigma top view (8 lobes); (F) Stigma top view (6 lobes); (G) Stigma, bottom view. (Drawn by Qiu-Lan Lv from the holotype).