Camellia yangii D. Wei Zhao, 2025

Zhao, Dongwei, 2025, Camellia yangii (Theaceae), a new species of tea plants (Camellia section Thea), PhytoKeys 257, pp. 247-256 : 247-256

Camellia yangii D. Wei Zhao sp. nov.

Type material.

Holotype: China • Yunnan: Malipo , in evergreen montane forest, 858 m, 25 December 2023, Yang S. X. & Yin L. 7357 (holotype: KUN 1628256 !; isotypes: CSFI!, KUN 1628257 !, KUN 1628258 !)

Diagnosis.

Similar to C. fangchengensis and C. ptilophylla by the densely pubescent new branchlets, abaxial surface of leaves and pedicel, but differs from them in bearing a larger flower (4–5.5 cm in diam. vs. 2–3.5 cm in diam.), less (3 vs. 5) but larger (8–9 × 10–13 mm vs. 2.5–7 × 3.5–7 mm) sepals, and sericeous (vs. glabrous) adaxial surface of the sepals (Table 1 ).

Description.

Evergreen shrubs or trees, 5–8 m tall. Bark grayish yellow. New branchlets densely pubescent, terminal buds red or purplish red, densely pubescent. Petioles 3–5 mm long, densely pubescent; leaf blades elliptic, oblong, or obovate, 9–21 × 3.5–8.5 cm, coriaceous, abaxially yellowish green, densely pubescent, adaxially dark green, glabrous or puberulous along midrib at base, midrib and secondary veins abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 10–13 pairs, base cuneate, margin serrulate, apex acuminate. Flowers axillary, solitary or paired, 4–5.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 5–15 mm long, densely pubescent. Bracteoles 2, caducous, ovate, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous. Sepals 3, persistent, suborbicular, 8–9 × 10–13 mm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially sericeous, margin ciliolate. Petals 7–8 in 1–2 whorls, white, or the outmost petal green at apex, elliptic to obovate, 15–35 × 15–25 mm, outer petals pubescent or puberulous on both surfaces, inner petals puberulous at base or glabrous on both surfaces, apex obtuse to rounded, inner 4–5 petals basally adnate to filament whorl for 2–4 mm. Stamens numerous, 20–25 mm long; filaments white or slightly pink, glabrous, outer filaments basally connate for 3–5 mm. Ovary globose to ovoid, densely pubescent. Styles 1, 18–22 mm long, gradually becoming glabrous upwards, apically 3 - lobed for 5–8 mm. Capsule tri-coccal, ca. 3.5 cm in diam., ca. 2 cm in height, 3 - loculed with 1 seed per locule; pericarp 1–2 mm thick. Seeds fuscous, globose, ca. 1.5 cm in diam., glabrous, Figs 1 , 2 .

Phenology.

Flowering December, fruiting August – September (Table 2 ).

Paratypes.

China. • Yunnan: Malipo County, in evergreen montane forest, 858 m, August 2023, Yang S. X. & Xiao B. 7122 ( KUN) ; same place, 21 November 2023, Yang S. X. et al. 7312 – 7315 ( KUN, equal to Zhao D. W. et al. 536 [1] – [4] at CSFI, respectively), Zhao D. W. et al. 536 (5) ( CSFI) ; same place, 25 December 2023, Yang S. X. & Yin L. 7358 ( KUN), 7359 ( KUN) .

Distribution and habitat.

Camellia yangii is endemic to the tropical evergreen montane forest in Malipo County.

Etymology.

Camellia yangii is named after the leading collector of its type, Dr. Shixiong Yang, an expert of the family Theaceae at Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Chinese name of C. yangii is proposed as ” 三萼茶 ” because it bears three sepals in the flower.

Figures

Figure 1. Camellia yangii D. Wei Zhao, sp. nov. A. Habit; B, C. Branchlets; D. Abaxial surface of leaf; E. Flower buds; F. Flower; G. A dissected flower without bracteoles, 1 - sepals, 2 - petals, 3 - androecium, 4 - pedicel, receptacle and gynoecium; H. Bracteoles; I. Pedicel, receptacle and gynoecium of a flower; J, K. Capsule. Scale bars: 5 cm (C); 1 cm (E, I, J, K); 2 cm (F); 2 mm (H). Photos: Zhao D. W. (A); Yang S. X. (B – K).

Figure 2. Illustration of Camellia yangii. A. Branchlet with flowers; B. A node of branchlet, showing the indumenta of the branchlet, leaf, and bud; C. A part of androecium and a petal; D. Pedicel, receptacle and gynoecium of a flower; E. Capsule; F. Seed. Drawn by Chen M. Q.