Aspidistra yuelushanensis L. Wu &amp; X. L. Yu 2021, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Deng, Chuang-Fa
name: Wu, Lei
name: Yu, Xun-Lin
name: Xu, Yong-Fu
name: Li, Jia-Xiang
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Plantae
Tracheophyta
Liliopsida
Asparagales
Asparagaceae
Aspidistra
Aspidistra yuelushanensis

description: <i>Aspidistra yuelushanensis</i> L.Wu &amp; X.L.Yu, <i>sp. nov.</i> (Figs. 1 &amp; 2). <b>Type:</b> — CHINA. Hunan: Changsha City, Yuelu district, Yuelu Mountain, under the evergreen forest, 28.184°N 112.931°E, 130 m, 19 March 2019, <i>C. F</i> <i>.</i> <i>Deng et al. 19031901</i> (holotype CSFI069615!, isotypes CSFI!, IBK!). Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 7–11 mm in diam. Roots numerous. Vaginal leaves 5, purplish red, 1–13 cm long, becoming fibrous remnants covering the stem. Leaves solitary, 1.0– 3.5 cm apart; petiole stiff upright, 10–45 cm long, adaxially sulcate; blades elliptic-lanceolate, 28–45 × 4.5–8 cm, base cuneate, inequilateral, tapering to petioles, apex acuminate, margin entire, glabrous; midvein prominent at abaxial surface. Scape decumbent or declining, lightly purple reddish, 0.5–8.0 cm long, with 4–6 bracts; bracts broadly ovate, 7–8 × 6–7 mm, purple. Flower solitary; perigone campanulate, fleshy, 14–19 mm long, 13–17.5 mm in diam., abaxially purple-reddish; tube 11–13 mm long, 8.0– 10.5 mm in diam., adaxially with most portion purple-reddish; lobes 6, slightly recurved, adaxially yellow-whitish or pale purple-reddish, triangular-lanceolate, 5.5–8.5 mm long, 2.5–4.0 mm at base, apex obtuse or acute, each with 2 keels. Stamens 6, opposite to perigone lobes, inserted at ca. 2.0 mm from the base of the tube; filaments ca. 0.7 mm long, ca. 1.1 mm in diam., purple-reddish; anthers oblong-elliptical, dorsifixed, pale yellow, elliptic, ca. 3.15 mm long, ca. 1.68 mm wide. Pistil ca. 6.5 mm long; ovary inconspicuous; style purple-reddish or white, ca. 2.5 mm long; stigma enlarged, obconical, ca. 5.0 mm in diam., upper surface purplereddish, densely papillose, with 3 radial, usually bifurcate grooves, 3-lobed, lobes deeply concave. Fruit unknown. <b>Etymology:</b> —The specific epithet is derived from the type locality, viz., Yuelu mountain. The Chinese name of the new species is ‘yùe-lù-sh&amp;amacr;n-zh&amp;imacr;-zh&amp;umacr;-bào-dàn (<b>岳#山¢%抱¶</b>)’. <b>Phenology:</b> —It flowers from February to March. <b>Distribution and ecology:</b> —Until now, <i>Aspidistra yuelushanensis</i> are only found in three sites, all of which are for landscaping, viz., Yuelu Mountain (Central South University of Forestry and Technology and Hunan Forest Botanical Garden). We consulted the staff of Hunan Forest Botanical Garden and were told that the detailed introduction site was lost in their information bank of introduction. However, a retired worker of the garden who mainly worked on introduction was sure that the individuals were collected from the typical hilly red soil region around Changsha in his memories. We have tried to look for the wild individuals for several times, but failed. Therefore, a further field investigation is necessary for this species. <b>Specimens examined</b> (paratypes):— CHINA. Hunan: Changsha City, Tianxin District, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, 28.138°N 112.991°E, 100 m, 27 March 2020, <i>C. F. Deng et al. 20032701</i> (CSFI!); Yuhua District, Hunan Forest Botanical Garden, 28.105°N 113.017°E, 94 m, 28 March 2020, <i>C. F. Deng et al. 20032801</i> (CSFI!); Yuelu Mountain, 28.184°N 112.931°E, 130 m, 2 April 2020, <i>C. F. Deng et al. 20040201</i> (CSFI!). <b>Taxonomic relationships:</b> — <i>Aspidistra yuelushanensis</i> is similar to <i>A. chishuiensis</i> He &amp; Xu in Xu <i>et al.</i> (2010: 118), <i>A. tenuifolia</i> Lin &amp; Yang in Meng <i>et al.</i> (2014: 289) and <i>A. pingfaensis</i> He &amp; Sun in Sun <i>et al.</i> (2014: 33) in the shape of the flowers. However, the new species differs from the <i>A. chishuiensis</i> mainly by its stamens inserted at the base (vs. adnate to the middle) of perianth tube, filaments spreading horizontally or slightly upward and enlarged (vs. sessile), perianth lobes slightly outcurved (vs. slightly incurved), from <i>A. tenuifolia</i> in its stamens facing the ovary (vs. opposite to perigone lobes) and from <i>A. pingfaensis</i> in its leaf blade 28–45 × 4.5–8 (vs. 45−65 × 2−2.8) cm, stigma 5 (vs. 8−9) mm in diameter, densely papillose with 3 radial and bifurcate grooves (vs. slightly concave with 4 whitish radiate bifurcating lines). The new species is also similar to <i>A. attenuata</i> Hayata (1912: 145), but differs from the latter mainly in its leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate (vs. oblanceolate, oblique), 28–45 × 4.5–8 (vs. 55–103 × 8.2–10.5) cm, perianth 14–19 × 13–17.5 (vs. ~26 × 35–40) mm, perianth lobes slightly outcurved (vs. reflexed), monocyclic (vs. usually in 2 whorls), stigma 3- (vs. 3- or 4-) lobed at margin, stigma 5 (vs. 6–13) mm in diameter. The detailed comparisons of the similarities are presented in Table 1. So far, 9 species of <i>Aspidistra</i> are recorded in Hunan province (Wang <i>et al</i>. 1978, Liang &amp; Tamura 2000, Qi &amp; Yu 2002, Deng <i>et al.</i> 2010, Zhou <i>et al</i>. 2015). To better understand and identify the species from Hunan, a classification key is presented as follow.
description: Published as part of <i>Deng, Chuang-Fa, Wu, Lei, Yu, Xun-Lin, Xu, Yong-Fu &amp; Li, Jia-Xiang, 2021, Aspidistra yuelushanensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from Hunan, China, pp. 183-190 in Phytotaxa 482 (2)</i> on page 187, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.482.2.6, http://zenodo.org/record/5419037
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