aSPIDISTRA sPECIES

Aspidistra letreae

Name:

Aspidistra letreae Aver., Tillich & T.A.Le – Phytotaxa 308(1): 137. (2017).

Holotype:

 

 

Vietnam: Quang Tri province, Vinh Linh district, Vinh Ha commune, around point 16°5’80.44”N 106°5’24.39”E, primary and secondary evergreen broad-leaved lowland forest at elevation about 100 m a.s.l., terrestrial herb on shady reclined slope, not common, 10 October 2016, Anh Le Tuan, Ta Quoc Khanh, PVT 712 (holotype–LE; isotypes–VNMN).

Distribution:

Vietnam: Quang Tri province.

Phenology:

Flowers in September–October in nature.

Description

from 

protologue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terrestrial perennial herb with epigeous simple or few branching, erect or oblique stem-like stout rhizome (1.5)2–4(5) cm long, Ø (4)5–6(7) mm, densely covered by many, dirty gray or yellowish-gray papyraceous-fibrous remains of cataphylls; leafy apical part of rhizome very short, simple, (0.5)1–1.5(2) cm tall; basal, leafless part dirty gray, more or less flexuose, with many stilt roots. Roots gray straight rigid, Ø (2)2.5–4(5) mm. Cataphylls during anthesis dry, dull pale yellowish, narrowly lanceolate to linear, obtuse, straight, upright, (2)5–16(20) cm long, (2.5)3–6(8) mm wide (being flattened), somewhat broadening at the base. Leaves on individual shoot (3)4(5), petiolate; petiole dark green, stiff, rigid, erect, straight, (10)15–25(30) cm long, Ø (1.5)2–2.5(3) mm, adaxially grooved; leaf blade straight to slightly arching, leathery, more or less flat or slightly conduplicate, narrowly lanceolate to almost linear, tapering to acute apex, with rather broad, shortly cuneate base, (45)50–65(70) cm long, (1.5)2–3(3.2) cm wide, straight or hardly irregularly wavy along margin, uniformly dark grass-green on both sides, with prominent median vein and 4 distinct secondary veins. Flowers 1–2(3), solitary, arising laterally from leafy part of the stem, shortly pedunculate, nutant, widely opening, Ø (3.8)4.5–5(5.5) cm. Peduncle horizontal, down curved, short, (1)1.5–2.5(3) cm long, Ø (2.8)3– 3.5(4) mm, light green to dirty olive, almost completely enveloped by (3)4(5) densely imbricate, sterile bracts; sterile bracts dirty olive-greenish tinged with purple-brown to uniformly dark olive-green, broadly ovate, obtuse, with broad base, usually apically splitting, concave, coriaceous, (6)10–15(18) mm long, (8)10–16(18) mm wide (being flattened). Perigonium with 6–7 free lobes, rather uniformly purple-brown to chestnut, fleshy, smooth and glossy, syntepalous part concave, (3.5)4–5(6) mm in depth. Perigonium lobes subequal, fleshy, almost flat or slightly longitudinally convex, smooth and glossy, uniformly purple-brown to chestnut, triangular, (1.2)1.4–1.7(1.8) cm long, (0.8)0.9–1.4(1.5) cm wide, obtuse at apex. Stamens 6–7, sessile, placed in the middle part of syntepalous part of perianth; anthers ovoid, (3)3.2–3.5(3.8) mm long, (2.2)2.5–3(3.2) mm wide, much distant from each other; pollen sacs introrse; pollen bright yellow. Pistil white, mushroom-shaped; style fleshy, shortly cylindrical (5.5)6–7(8) mm tall, Ø (2.8)3–5(6) mm; stigma almost hemispheric, 4–5 mm tall, Ø (12)14–16(18) mm, circular in outline, shallowly irregularly crenulate along margin, or obscurely hexagonal, shallowly ribbed beneath, fleshy, densely papillose, white to light dull greenish. Ovary inconspicuous, very indistinct, white. Fruits unknown.

Sourses:

Averyanov et al. (2017) – Phytotaxa 308 (1): 137–140.

Gallery: