Name:

Aspidistra nigra Aver., Tillich & K.S.Nguyen – Nordic J. Bot. 36(7)-e01833: 7. (2018).

Holotype:

 

 

Vietnam, Tuyen Quang province, Lam Binh district, Thuong Lam commune, Na Toong village, around point 22°30ʹ17.4ʹʹN, 105°18ʹ50.4ʹʹE, 400 m a.s.l., primary degraded broad-leaved evergreen forest on very steep slopes of limestone mountains, terrestrial herb, very common, 30 Nov 2017, N. T. Hiep, N. Q. Hieu, N. S. Khang et al., CK 1514 (holotype: HN). Plate d-Exsiccates of Vietnamese flora N. S. Khang and L. Averyanov 0304/CK 1514.

Specimens:

 

 

 

 

 

Northern Vietnam, Tuyen Quang province, Lam Binh district, Thuong Lam commune, Na Toong village, around point 22°29ʹ58.9ʹʹN, 105°19ʹ4.2ʹʹE, 300 m a.s.l., primary degraded broad-leaved evergreen forest on base of very steep slopes of limestone mountains, terrestrial herb, very common. 30 Nov 2017, N.T. Hiep, N. Q. Hieu, N.S. Khang et al., CK 1511 (HN, KUN); northern Vietnam, Thanh Hoa province, Ba Thuoc district, Co Lung commune, Khuyen village, around point 20°26ʹ32.9ʹʹN, 105°14ʹ52.9ʹʹE, 600–680 m a.s.l., primary evergreen seasonal broad-leaved submontane forest on crystalline marble-like highly eroded limestone ridge, terrestrial herb, leaves about 40–70 cm tall, very common. 12 Dec 2017, N. T. Hiep, N. Q. Hieu, N. S. Khang et al., CK 1882 (HN, KUN, LE).

Distribution:

Vietnam: Tuyen Quang province.

Phenology:

Flowers in November–Decemberin in nature.

Description

from 

protologue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Terrestrial perennial herb with epigeous to hypogeous fewbranching, creeping stout rhizome (6)10–15(20) cm long bearing many dull yellowish-gray, rigid, rather straight roots; rhizome of individual plant consisting of (5)6–10(14) sympodial plagiotropic segments, each (0.8)1.2–2.0(2.4) cm long, (4.0)5.0–6.0(6.5) mm in diameter, almost naked when old, loosely covered by dirty brown papyraceous remains of cataphylls when young, apical (4)6–10(14) segments terminated by erect, strongly abbreviated stems 4–5 mm tall, bearing several cataphylls and one erect leaf. Cataphylls during anthesis herbaceous, dull pale brownish-purple, convolute, straight, upright, enveloping leaf petiole, (4)6–14(16) cm long, (0.6)0.8–1.2(1.4) cm wide (when flattened out), somewhat broadening at the base. Leaves petiolate, (40)50– 80(100) cm long; petiole dark grassy green, stiff, rigid, erect, straight, (16)18–35(40) cm long, (2.5)3.0–3.5(4.0) mm in diameter, adaxially grooved; leaf blade suberect to arching, leathery, more or less flat, elliptic to narrowly elliptic, tapering to acute apex and cuneate base, (22)24–42(45) cm long, (5)6–9(11) cm wide, straight along margin, uniformly dark grassy green or with sparse obscure dull yellowish spots, with prominent median vein and numerous, rather indistinct secondary veins. Flowers 1(2), arising laterally from leafy part of the stem in apical rhizome segment, pedunculate, widely opening, (2.2)2.5–3.2(3.4) cm in diameter, later with perigone lobes strongly recurved. Peduncle horizontal to ascendant or suberect, (0.8)1.0–2.5(3.0) cm long, (2.8)3.0– 3.5(4.0) mm in diameter, white to light greenish, with (3)4–6(7) distant, sterile bracts; sterile bracts white with light purple nerves and speckles, narrowly ovate to ovate, acute to shortly acuminate, herbaceous, with broad base, enveloping peduncle, (0.6)1.0–2.0(2.4) cm long, (0.6)0.7–1.4(1.6) cm wide (when flattened out). Perigone tube smooth and glossy, white outside, dark purple with white base inside, cupulate, (1.1)1.2–1.3(1.4) cm long and wide, with (5)6–8 free lobes; lobes fleshy, subequal, strongly recurved, with incurved margin, outside white, heavily spotted with dark purple, smooth and glossy, inside dark purple-violet to almost black, with inconspicuous longitudinal grooves or somewhat irregularly wrinkled, being flattened ovate, (0.7)0.8–1.0(1.2) cm long, (6)7–8(9) mm wide, obtuse or roundish at apex. Stamens 6(8), anthers almost sessile, placed near the base of perigone tube, near the apex of ovary; anthers bean shaped, (3.4)3.6– 3.8(4.0) mm long, (1.2)1.4–1.6(1.8) mm wide, well distant from each other; pollen sacs mostly down-faced; pollen pale yellow. Pistil light yellowish near the base, pure white or light purple at the middle, dark purple-violet to almost black in apical half, obconoid, (0.9)1.1–12(1.4) cm tall; style fleshy, in basal half shortly cylindrical, (2.2)2.4–2.6(2.8) mm in diameter, in apical half obconoid, broadening into obconical stigma; stigma (1.0)1.1–1.2(1.4) cm in diameter, surface slightly convex to almost flat, fleshy, circular in outline, with 3–4 deeply emarginate lobes and 3–4 deep incisions between them, pure white and finely papillose. Ovary inconspicuous, very indistinct, white with light greenish or yellowish tint. Fruits unknown.

Sourses:

Averyanov et al. (2018) – Nordic Journal of Botany: e01833.

Gallery: