Aspidistra zhenganensis S. Z. He & Y. Wang, 2017

Wang, Yong, Xu, Wen-Fen & He, Shun-Zhi, 2017, Aspidistra zhenganensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from Guizhou, China, Phytotaxa 297 (1), pp. 83-85 : 83

Aspidistra zhenganensis S. Z. He & Y. Wang sp. nov. ( Fig. 1 )

Type: — CHINA. Guizhou province, Zhengan county, Fengyi town, under shrubs on the hillsides, elevation ca. 800 m, 19 October 2016, Y. Wang 161019 (holotype GZTM! , isotype GZTM! ).

Herbs perennial, rhizome creeping, subterete, 8 − 12 mm thick, covered with scales. Roots light yellowish-white. Leaf sheaths 1 − 2, purple-red, 4 − 10 cm long, enclosing the base of leaves, fibrous when withered. Leaves solitary, 1 − 1.8 cm apart, leaf blade oblong, 30 − 45 × 5.5 − 9 cm, apex gradually acuminate, base gradually narrowed into petiole; petiole 15 − 30 cm. Peduncle 5 − 7 cm, white, erect, bracts 4 − 5, broadly ovate, white, 6 − 9 × 5 − 9 mm. Flower solitary. Perigone widely campanulate to slightly urceolate, 1.4 − 1.7 cm tall, (6 −)8 lobed, perigone tube white inside and outside, 8 − 10 mm in length, ca. 14 mm in diameter, lobes purple, narrowly triangular, erect, 4 − 7 mm long and ca. 5 mm wide at base, with two low keels at lower third, running down to upper half of tube. Stamens (6 −)8, inserted at lower part of the tube, freely visible from above filaments suberect, ca. 1 mm in length, anthers oblong, ca. 2 mm in length. Pistil ca. 5 mm in length, style cylindrical, ovary slightly swollen, stigma obconical, 4 − 6 mm in diameter, light purple abaxially, deep purple adaxially, with 4 deep, white heart-shaped to bifurcate grooves, 4-lobed at margin, lobes slightly emarginate. Fruit berry subglobose, purple on the top and light yellowish-green on the other part, 1.3 − 1.5 cm high, 1.4 − 1.6 cm in diameter, with small spines. Flowering phase: September to October.

Distribution and habitat:—This species grows under shrubs on limestone hillsides, at elevation ca. 800 m. Distributed in Fengyi town, Zhengan county, Guizhou province, China.

Taxonomic relationships:—This new species is similar to Aspidistra flaviflora Lang & Zhu (1982: 485) . The major differences as illustrated in Table 1 lie in the perigone color, the number and shape of perigone lobes, the number of stamens, the stigma characters, and shape of berry.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Aspidistra zhenganensis (A–B) habitat; (C–D) plant habit; (E–G) flowers in natural position; (H) longitudinal section of a flower (showing stamens); (I) longitudinal section of a flower (showing pistil); (J) stigma lateral view; (K) stigma apical view; (L) flowers; (M) berry lateral view; (N) berry apical view.