Name:

Aspidistra erythrocephala C.R.Lin & Y.Y.Liang – Phytotaxa 247(4): 295. (2016).

Holotype:

China. Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jingxi city, Diding Natural Reserve, limestone areas, alt. 870 m, 23 November 2014. Yong-yang Liang 623 (holotype IBK; isotype GXF).

Distribution:

China: Guangxi.

Phenology:

Flowers in October–December in cultivation.

Description

from 

protologue:

Perennial, evergreen herbs. Rhizome subterete, 5–8 mm thick, densely covered with scales. Sheathing leaves 3–5, 2–8 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, papyraceous, purplish-red when young, later becoming gray-brownish when dry. Leaves solitary, 1–2 cm spaced; petiole rigid, adaxially sulcate, 12–28 cm long, 2–3 mm in diam.; leaf blade elliptic to oblong, 18–24 cm long, 6.5–8.5 cm wide, dark green, base widely cuneate, inequilateral, apex acuminate, margin entire. Peduncle purplish red, decumbent or declining, 2.5–4 cm long, with 5–6 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to top of peduncle, the two bracts at base of perigone widely ovate, pale green with small purplish red dots, apex acuminate, 12–15 mm long, 8–10 mm wide. Flower solitary, numerous; perigone tubular, 15–18 mm long, fleshy, 6-lobed apically; lobes slightly outcurved, purplish-red, broadly ovate, apex rounded, actinomorphic, distinctly 2-whorled, lobes of outer whorl 5–6 mm long, 4–5 mm wide, those of the inner whorl smaller, 4–5 mm long and 3–4 mm wide; tube 10–12 mm long, 5–6 mm in diam., purplish-red in upper half and white in lower half inside and outside. Stamens 6, opposite to lobes, inserted at upper part of lower half of perigone tube, filaments horizontal, ca. 0.6 mm long; anthers yellow, oblong, 3–4 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm wide, facing middle region of style. Pistil ca. 10 mm long, ovary inconspicuous; style slender, white, cylindrical, 6–7 mm long, 1.5–2 mm in diam.; stigma almost hemispherical, red, 4–5 mm in diam., ca. 3 mm high, its upper surface smooth and sometimes with 3 inconspicuous radial lines, subcircular or irregularly undulate-lobed at margin.

Sourses:

Liang et al. (2016) – Phytotaxa 247: 295–298.

Gallery: