Botanical Studies (2010) 51: 263-268.

SYSTEMATICS

Aspidistra obconica, Asparagaceae [Ruscaceae], a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China

Chun-Rui LIN¹, Ching-I PENG², Yoshiko KONO², and Yan LIU¹*

¹Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin
541006, P.R. China

²Herbarium (HAST), Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Nangang, Taipei 115, Taiwan (Received January 12, 2010; Accepted March 3, 2010)

ABSTRACT. Aspidistra obconica C. R. Lin & Yan Liu (Asparagaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species from the limestone areas in southwestern Guangxi, China. The new species is easily distinguished from all other members of Aspidistra by the obconic perianth and pistil. A somatic chromosome number of 2n = 38 and a karyotype formula 2n = 24m^2SC + 2sm + 12st were determined for A. obconica. The new species is known only from Daxin County, which lies at the border between Guangxi and northern Vietnam. Color plates, line drawings and a distribution map are provided to aid in identification.

Keywords: Asparagaceae; Aspidistra obconica; China; Chromosome number; Guangxi; Karyotype; Limestone flora; New species; Ruscaceae.

INTRODUCTION

Aspidistra Ker-Gawler (Asparagaceae: Nolinoideae in APG III, Angiosperm Phylogeny Group, 2009; Chase et al., 2009; former Ruscaceae sensu lato, see Rudall et al., 2000), distributed in eastern Asia, has been ignored by field botanists until quite recently when there has been a rapid rise in the number of species recognized. Currently, 95 species of Aspidistra are known, with more than 60 of them confined to China, mostly in Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region (Lang et al., 1999; Li, 2004; Tillich, 2005, 2008; Fang and Yu, 2002; Li and Tang, 2002; Li and Wei, 2003; Tang and Liu, 2003; Lin et al., 2009;

Hou et al., 2009). Plants of Aspidistra are characterized by a perennial habit, conspicuous rhizomes, a variety of fruits and a highly diversified flower structure. During a field expedition in 2004, a new species was discovered in a limestone valley in southwestern Guangxi. It was transplanted to the Guilin Botanical Garden where it flowered and was carefully examined. It is markedly different from any hitherto known species in its unique flowers, which we name Aspidistra obconica.

NEW SPECIES

Aspidistra obconica C. R. Lin & Yan Liu, sp. nov.― TYPE: CHINA. Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, Daxin Xian (County), Encheng Zhen (Township), alt. 320 m, in a valley on limestone hill, 27 May 2004, Yan Liu L0960 (holotype: IBK; isotype: HAST).

錐花蜘蛛抱蛋 Figures 1, 2

^*Corresponding author: E-mail: gxibly@163.com.

Species perianthio et pistillo obconico a congeneribus manifeste diversa.

Herbs perennial, evergreen, rhizomatous. Rhizome creeping, subterete, 8-10 mm thick, covered with scales, nodes dense. Cataphylls 5 or 6, purplish red, 1-11 cm long, enveloping base of petiole, becoming blackish brown when dry. Cauline leaves ca. 5 mm apart; petiole stiffly upright, 9-15 cm long, 2-3 mm thick, adaxially sulcate; leaf blade usually narrowly elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 15-23 cm long, 4.5-7.5 cm wide, dark green with small yellowish white spots on both surfaces, base cuneate, gradually narrowing into a petiole, inequilateral, margin entire, apex acuminate. Peduncle decumbent or declining, purplish red, 1.5-3.5 cm long, with 5 or 6 bracts, bracts gradually wider from base to apex of peduncle, basalmost bract broadly ovate-cucullate, purplish red, 7-10 mm long, 8-10 mm wide, apex subobtuse. Inflorescence a solitary flower; perianth obconic-campanulate, 1.4-1.6 cm long, fleshy, 6-lobed apically; lobes whitish, densely purplish mottled, usually incurved, ovate-triangular, apex rounded, distinctly 2-whorled, lobes of outer whorl 3-4 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, those of the inner whorl smaller; tube 1.1-1.3 cm long, distal opening 8-10 mm in diam., white or sometimes speckled with purple; stamens 6, inserted on upper mid part of perianth tube, anthers sessile, linear, pale yellow, ca. 4 mm long, distally reaching or just below level of stigma; pistil obconic, purple, 1-1.2 cm long, ovary inconspicuous, style distally gradually widened to stigma, stigma subrotund, 5-6 mm in diam., surface flat, with 3 fine radial grooves from center to margin, shallowly 3-lobed, with 3 radial, whitish, inconspicuous bifurcate lines in center.

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Additional specimens examined. CHINA. Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, Guilin City, Yanshan (Township), introduced by Yan Liu from the type locality, cultivated, 20 May 2009, Chun-Rui Lin 018 (IBK).

Chromosome cytology. Somatic chromosomes were examined using root tips from plants of the type collection.

Root tips were pretreated in 2 mM hydroxyquinoline at 15-18°C for about 8 h, then fixed overnight in a 3:1 ethanol-acetic acid solution at about 4°C. The chromosomes were stained in 2% acetic orcein with 1N hydrochloric acid (10:1) and observed. Classification of chromosome morphology is based on the position of the

Figure 1. Aspidistra obconica C. R. Lin & Yan Liu. A, Habit; B, Perianth, dissected to show stamens; C, Pistil, side view; D, Stigma, top view. (Drawn by Shun-qing He from the holotype).

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centromere, following Levan et al. (1964).

Our study of the somatic chromosomes of Aspidistra obconica revealed 2n = 38 (Figure 3). Chromosomes at mitotic metaphase showed trimodal variation in length. Of the 38 chromosomes, the first two were much longer (about 9.9-10.9 Lim long) than the rest; the next 14 gradually var-

ied from ca. 4.9 to 7.6 fim; the remaining 22 chromosomes varied similarly from ca. 1.9 to 3.4 Lm long. Regardless of chromosome length, twenty-four (Nos. 1, 2 and 17-38 in Figure 3B), two (Nos. 3 and 4 in Figure 3B), and twelve (Nos. 5-16 in Figure 3B) chromosomes had a centromere at the median (m), submedian (sm), and subterminal (st)

Figure 2. Aspidistra obconica C. R. Lin & Yan Liu. A, Habit; B, C, Flowers; D, Pistil, side view; E, Stigma, top view; F, Flower, longitudinally dissected.

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Liu (Hou et al., 2009) at the same location and is separated from it by only 10 meters. The two species flower at the same time, but natural hybrids were not found.

Phenology. Flowering from May to June.

Etymology. The specific epithet is derived from its ob-conic perianth and pistil.

Notes. Aspidistra obconica (Figures 1, 2) is markedly distinct from its congeners by the obconic perianth and pistil. Its stigmatic surface is somewhat similar to that of A. cerina, A. claviformis and A. saxicola, all with 3 radial, inconspicuous bifurcate lines in the central part and shallowly 3-lobed margin. Morphological comparisons of the four species are shown in Figures 5, 6.

Acknowledgments. The authors are grateful to Profs. Fa-Nan Wei (IBK) and Qin-Er Yang for the Latin diagnosis. We also thank Mr. Shun-Qing He (IBK) for the

Figure 3. Somatic chromosomes at mitotic metaphase of Aspidistra obconica [2n = 38, from Chun-Rui Lin 018 (IBK)]. A, Microphotograph. Arrows indicate the median chromosomes with secondary constrictions; B, Somatic chromosomes serially arranged by chromosome length and centromere position.

positions, respectively. Secondary constrictions (SC) were observed in the proximal region of the short arms in two median chromosomes (Arrows in Figure 3A; Nos. 17 and 18 in Figure 3B). Hence, the karyotype formula of Aspidistra obconica is 2n = 38 = 24m^2SC+2sm+12st.

Chromosome numbers and karyotypes of 40 species of Aspidistra from China and Vietnam were reported earlier (Bogner and Arnautov, 2004; Li, 2004; Yamashita and Tamura, 2004; Qiao et al., 2008; Hou et al., 2009). Several karyomorphological features were observed in the genus: basic chromosome numbers of x = 18 or 19; the chromosomes show bimodal or trimodal variation in length; and the first two median or submedian chromosomes are much longer than the others. Moreover, secondary constrictions were observed on the short arms of the 9^th or 10^th pair of chromosomes (Li, 2004). The karyomorphological features of A. obconica reported here are in agreement with the above observations.

Ecology and distribution. Aspidistra obconica is known only from the type locality in Daxin County, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, China (Figure 4). It grows on shaded rocky limestone slopes in broadleaved forests. It co-occurs with Aspidistra daxinensis M. F. Hou & Yan

Figure 4. Distribution of Aspidistra obconica (★), A. cerina G. Z. Li & S. C. Tang (•), A. claviformis Y Wan (□) and A. saxicola Y. Wan (▲) in Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region, China.

Figure 5. Comparison of pistil and top view of stigma in

Aspidistra. 1, 2, A. obconica; 3, 4, A. cerina; 5, 6, A. claviformis; 7, 8, A. saxicola.

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handsome drawing. This study was supported by Western Program for Fostering Personal Ability, CAS (2007) and Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Grant No. KSCX2-YW-Z-0912 to Yan Liu;

postdoctoral fellowship from Academia Sinica, Taiwan to Yoshiko Kono; and National Geographic Society Grant No. 8358-07 (Botanical Exploration of Limestone Karsts of Southern Guangxi, China) to Ching-I Peng.

Figure 6. Aspidistra flowers. A, B, Aspidistra cerina; C, D, Aspidistra claviformis; E, F, Aspidistra saxicola.

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LITERATURE CITED

Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 16: 105-121.

Bogner, J. and N. Arnautov. 2004. Aspidistra locii (Convallaria-ceae), an unusual new species from Vietnam. Willdenowia 34: 203-208.

Chase, M.W., J.L. Reveal, and M.F. Fay. 2009. A subfamilial

classification for the expanded asparagalean families Ama-ryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae. Bot. J.

Linn. Soc. 161: 132-136.

Fang, D. and L.Y. Yu. 2002. Three new species of Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Liliaceae) from Guangxi, China. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 40: 159-163.

Hou, M.F., Y. Liu, Y. Kono, and C.-I Peng. 2009. Aspidistra

daxinensis (Ruscaceae), a new species from limestone areas

in Guangxi, China. Bot. Stud. 50: 371-378.

Lang, K.Y., G.Z. Li, Y. Liu, Y.G. Wei, and R.X. Wang. 1999. Taxonomic and phytogeographic studies on the genus Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Liliaceae) in China. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 37: 468-508.

Levan, A., K. Fredga, and A.A. Sandberg. 1964. Nomenclature for centromeric position of chromosomes. Hereditas 52:

201-220.

Li, G.Z. 2004 (ed.). The Genus Aspidistra. Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House. Nanning.

Li, G.Z. and S.C. Tang. 2002. New taxa of Aspidistra Ker-Gawl.

from Guangxi, China. Guihaia 22: 289-291. Li, G.Z. and Y.G. Wei. 2003. Two new species of the Aspidistra

Ker-Gawl. (Liliaceae). Acta Phytotax. Sin. 41: 381-386.

Lin, C.R., Y.Y. Liang, and Y. Liu. 2009. Aspidistra bamaensis (Ruscaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China. Ann. Bot.

Fenn. 46: 416-418.

Rudall, P.J., J.G. Conran, and M.W. Chase. 2000. Systematics of

Ruscaceae/Convallariaceae: a combined morphological and molecular investigation. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 134: 73-92.

Qiao, Q., C.Q. Zhang, Y.P. Ma, and W. Tian. 2008. Karyotype

asymmetry of Aspidistra (Convallarieae, Ruscaceae). Acta

Bot. Yunnan. 30: 565-569.

Tang, S.C. and Y. Liu. 2003. Aspidistra guangxiensis (Conval-lariaceae), a new species from China. Novon 13: 480-482.

Tillich, H.J. 2005. A key for Aspidistra (Ruscaceae), including fifteen new species from Vietnam. Feddes Repert. 116:

313-338.

Tillich, H.J. 2008. An updated and improved determination key for Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Ruscaceae, Monocotyledons). Feddes Repert. 119: 449-462.

Wan, Y. 1984. A new species of the genus Aspidistra from

Guangxi. Guihaia 4: 129-131.

Wan, Y. 1984. New species of Liliaceae from Guangxi. Bull. Bot. Res. (Harbin) 4(4): 165-171.

Yamashita, J. and M.N. Tamura. 2004. Phylogenetic analyses and chromosome evolution in Convallarieae (Ruscaceae sensu lato), with some taxonomic treatments. J. Plant Res.

117: 363-370.

中國廣西石灰岩地區天門冬科蜘蛛抱蛋屬一新種：

錐花蜘蛛抱蛋

林春蕊¹ 彭鏡毅² 河野淑子² 劉演¹

¹廣西壯族自治區中國科學院廣西植物研究所

²中央研究院生物多樣性研究中心植物標本館(HAST)

本文報導中國廣西壯族自治區西南部石灰岩地區蜘蛛抱蛋屬一新種，即錐花蜘蛛抱蛋(Aspidistra
obconica)。該新種的花被倒圓錐形鐘狀，雌蕊亦呈倒圓錐狀，明顯可與蜘蛛抱蛋属其它種類區別。錐花
蜘蛛抱蛋的染色體數目為2n = 38 ，核型公式為2n = 24m^2SC + 2sm + 12st 。此新種目前僅知分佈於廣西西

南與越南北部毗連的大新縣。本文提供了該新種的線繪圖、彩色圖版與植物地理分佈圖。

關鍵詞：天門冬科；錐花蜘蛛抱蛋；中國；染色體數；廣西；核型；石灰岩植物；新種；假葉樹科。



	268	Botanical Studies, Vol. 51, 2010

	LITERATURE CITED Angiosperm Phylogeny Group. 2009. An update of the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification for the orders and families of flowering plants: APG III. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 16: 105-121. Bogner, J. and N. Arnautov. 2004. Aspidistra locii (Convallaria-ceae), an unusual new species from Vietnam. Willdenowia 34: 203-208. Chase, M.W., J.L. Reveal, and M.F. Fay. 2009. A subfamilial classification for the expanded asparagalean families Ama-ryllidaceae, Asparagaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 161: 132-136. Fang, D. and L.Y. Yu. 2002. Three new species of Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Liliaceae) from Guangxi, China. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 40: 159-163. Hou, M.F., Y. Liu, Y. Kono, and C.-I Peng. 2009. Aspidistra daxinensis (Ruscaceae), a new species from limestone areas in Guangxi, China. Bot. Stud. 50: 371-378. Lang, K.Y., G.Z. Li, Y. Liu, Y.G. Wei, and R.X. Wang. 1999. Taxonomic and phytogeographic studies on the genus Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Liliaceae) in China. Acta Phytotax. Sin. 37: 468-508. Levan, A., K. Fredga, and A.A. Sandberg. 1964. Nomenclature for centromeric position of chromosomes. Hereditas 52: 201-220. Li, G.Z. 2004 (ed.). The Genus Aspidistra. Guangxi Science & Technology Publishing House. Nanning. Li, G.Z. and S.C. Tang. 2002. New taxa of Aspidistra Ker-Gawl.	from Guangxi, China. Guihaia 22: 289-291. Li, G.Z. and Y.G. Wei. 2003. Two new species of the Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Liliaceae). Acta Phytotax. Sin. 41: 381-386. Lin, C.R., Y.Y. Liang, and Y. Liu. 2009. Aspidistra bamaensis (Ruscaceae), a new species from Guangxi, China. Ann. Bot. Fenn. 46: 416-418. Rudall, P.J., J.G. Conran, and M.W. Chase. 2000. Systematics of Ruscaceae/Convallariaceae: a combined morphological and molecular investigation. Bot. J. Linn. Soc. 134: 73-92. Qiao, Q., C.Q. Zhang, Y.P. Ma, and W. Tian. 2008. Karyotype asymmetry of Aspidistra (Convallarieae, Ruscaceae). Acta Bot. Yunnan. 30: 565-569. Tang, S.C. and Y. Liu. 2003. Aspidistra guangxiensis (Conval-lariaceae), a new species from China. Novon 13: 480-482. Tillich, H.J. 2005. A key for Aspidistra (Ruscaceae), including fifteen new species from Vietnam. Feddes Repert. 116: 313-338. Tillich, H.J. 2008. An updated and improved determination key for Aspidistra Ker-Gawl. (Ruscaceae, Monocotyledons). Feddes Repert. 119: 449-462. Wan, Y. 1984. A new species of the genus Aspidistra from Guangxi. Guihaia 4: 129-131. Wan, Y. 1984. New species of Liliaceae from Guangxi. Bull. Bot. Res. (Harbin) 4(4): 165-171. Yamashita, J. and M.N. Tamura. 2004. Phylogenetic analyses and chromosome evolution in Convallarieae (Ruscaceae sensu lato), with some taxonomic treatments. J. Plant Res. 117: 363-370.

	中國廣西石灰岩地區天門冬科蜘蛛抱蛋屬一新種：錐花蜘蛛抱蛋林春蕊¹ 彭鏡毅² 河野淑子² 劉演¹ ¹廣西壯族自治區中國科學院廣西植物研究所 ²中央研究院生物多樣性研究中心植物標本館(HAST) 本文報導中國廣西壯族自治區西南部石灰岩地區蜘蛛抱蛋屬一新種，即錐花蜘蛛抱蛋(Aspidistra obconica)。該新種的花被倒圓錐形鐘狀，雌蕊亦呈倒圓錐狀，明顯可與蜘蛛抱蛋属其它種類區別。錐花蜘蛛抱蛋的染色體數目為2n = 38 ，核型公式為2n = 24m^2SC + 2sm + 12st 。此新種目前僅知分佈於廣西西南與越南北部毗連的大新縣。本文提供了該新種的線繪圖、彩色圖版與植物地理分佈圖。關鍵詞：天門冬科；錐花蜘蛛抱蛋；中國；染色體數；廣西；核型；石灰岩植物；新種；假葉樹科。