Name:

Aspidistra renatae Bräuchler – Blumea 50(3): 527. (2005).

Synonyms:

Aspidistra renatae is currently a synonym of Aspidistra atroviolacea Tillich

Holotype:

Vietnam: Quangnam-Danang Province, Hoa Vang district, understorey of dense, slightly disturbed seasonal rain forest on steep granite slope, c. 700 m, 23 April 2004, Bräuchler 3000 (holo M, including one dissected flower in the liquid collection labelled Braeuchler 186/39; iso MSB).

Distribution:

Vietnam: Quangnam-Danang province.

Phenology:

Flowers in May in nature.

Description

from 

protologue:

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, mostly subterrestrial, 3–9 mm diam., densely covered with scales. Roots thin (< 1 mm diam.), moderately branched, emerging from the rhizome and spreading mostly horizontally to all sides. Leaves uniformly green, solitary, quite dense, leaf at tip of rhizome embraced by a sheath of 2 or 3 purple cataphylls (lower ones 2.1–4.2 cm, upper one 9–11.5 cm), getting brown and finally fibrous with further growth of rhizome; petioles 6–26 cm; lamina narrowly elliptic to linear, 18–33 by 1.2–2 cm, midvein forming an abaxial prominent keel about 1 mm in height, 3–5 prominent secondary longitudinal veins visible on both sides, connected more or less regularly every 5–7 mm by thin anastomoses, marginal vein absent. Flower solitary. Peduncle decumbent, c. 3 cm long, with 4 equidistantly alternating dark purplish violet bracts. Perigone campanulate with subglobose tube, dark purplish violet, not pigmented around base of gynoecium, tube wall up to 1 mm thick, tube 10 by 10 mm (9 mm wide at throat), lobes 6, triangular, 7 by 5 mm, moderately bent outwards (25–30°), constricted 3 mm from distal end, resulting in lobe ends appearing roundly. Stamens 6, very small (c. 1.5 by 1.5 mm), subsessile, inserted c. 3 mm above base, pollen and anthers bright yellowish in colour. Pistil c. 10 mm long and 1.9 mm diam. at thinnest point, ovary inconspicuous, 2.5 mm diam., style cylindrical, slender, stigma rounded hexagonal, with 6 shallow marginal incisions, surface slightly convex, 4–5 mm diam., white to pale purplish violet. Fruit unknown.

Sourses:

Bräuchler & Ngoc (2005) – Blumea 50: 527–529.

Gallery: