Name:

Aspidistra sessiliflora Aver. & Tillich – Nordic J. Bot. 36(7)-e01833: 13. (2018).

Holotype:

 

 

China, 26 Jan 2017, L. Averyanov, AL 271 (holotype: LE) prepared from cultivated plants originated from central China, Sichuan province, Leshan prefecture area, Emeishan county, vicinity of Emeishan City, Emeishan National Park, Emei Shan Mountain, evergreen broad-leaved monsoon humid subtropical forest on basalts, with domination of Rhododendron spp., 2000–3000 m a.s.l., Oct 2001, E. Arnautova, K. Tkachenko, s.n.

Distribution:

China: Sichuan.

Phenology:

Flowers in January–February in nature.

Description

from 

protologue:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhizome terete, epigeous, creeping, plagiotropic, simple (or few branching?), (6)10–15(20) cm long, (0.8)1.0–1.2(1.4) cm in diameter, bearing numerous, thick, wiry roots, densely nodal, naked in old part, when young covered by bases of disintegrated, brownish, papyraceous remains of cataphylls; apex of rhizome terminated by erect, strongly abbreviated stems (2)3–4(5) mm tall, bearing (1)2–3(4) cataphylls and (1)2(3) erect leaves. Cataphylls during anthesis withered, papyraceous, light to dark brown, cuneate, acute, more or less flat, straight or twisted, erect, (1)2–12(14) cm long, (5)6–8(10) mm wide (when flattened out), suddenly broadening at the base. Leaves petiolate; petiole grassy green, stiff, rigid, erect, straight, (10)12–24(26) cm long, (2.0)2.5–2.8(3.2) mm in diameter, adaxially grooved; leaf blade suberect to arching, leathery, more or less flat, plicate, narrowly elliptic, tapering to acute apex and cuneate base, (18)20–28(32) cm long, (2.5)3.0–6.0(7.0) cm wide, slightly irregularly wavy along margin, uniformly dark grassy green or densely mottled with small indistinct yellowish spots, with prominent median vein and numerous indistinct secondary veins. Flowers odorless, solitary, arising laterally from subapical leafless part of rhizome, sessile (peduncle less than 1 mm long or almost absent), with 2–3 scarious yellowish sterile bracts, partially disintegrated at anthesis, upward directed; open flower and perigone tube equal in diameter (1.0)1.2–1.4(1.6) cm; tube urceolate, 0.5–0.6 cm tall; perigone with 6 free lobes, fleshy, finely verruculose inside, glossy purple-brown outside, blackish purple inside; perigone lobes dirty purple-brownish to greenish with brown tint, subsimilar, triangular, fleshy, finely rough, with a longitudinal median groove, obliquely spreading or outcurved, (2.8)3.0(3.2) mm long and wide, at apex suddenly broadening into a fragile, flat, ovate, dull pale yellowish-green plate that is 1.5–1.8 mm long. Stamens 6, shortly filamentose, placed at the base of perigone tube; filaments in form of fleshy pyramidal calli 0.8–1.0 mm tall and wide; anthers bean-shaped, 1.0–1.2 mm long and wide, introrse, with pollen sacs oriented obliquely upwards; pollen pale yellow. Pistil mushroom-shaped, with peltate stigma; style stout, white, shortly cylindrical, broadening to the apex and the base, 1.8–2.0(2.2) mm tall and wide; stigma large, fleshy, obscurely 3-lobed to almost circular, (8.0)8.5– 9.5(10.0) mm in diameter, above entirely pink-purple and finely papillose, below white with 3 radial grooves separating the 3 fused obcordate stigma lobes. Ovary inconspicuous, very indistinct, white. Fruits unknown.

Sourses:

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

Gallery: