Species New to Science

A new monotypic genus, Quangnamia (Hamamelidaceae), and its species, Q. syncarpa, discovered in central Vietnam are described and illustrated. Quangnamia syncarpa is evergreen treelet or tree with non-stellate indumentum on vegetative and floral parts, glabrous twigs and leaves, axillary inflorescences in form of spadix-like many-flowered heads, hermaphrodite, 5(6)-merous flowers, petals straight in bud, in open flowers greenish yellow, linear-lorate to linear, ribbonlike with straight and entire margins, lacking staminodes, 1-sporangiate anther thecae dehisced by a longitudinal slit, gynoecium syncarpous of two completely fused carpels, with inferior 2-locular ovary, each locule with 2 ovules placed on axial placenta, irregularly globular syncarpous infructescence consisting of few- to many 2-carpellate capsules, dorsoventrally flattened, broadly obovoid, entire or slightly retuse at apex, opening septicidally like bivalve shell, with two seed per carpel, and wingless seed. Morphological comparison of Quangnamia with related genera, and notes on the habitat, phenology, and conservation status of the new plant are provided and discussed.

Quangnamia syncarpa K. S. Nguyen, Aver., C. W. Lin, G. Q. Liu et H. H. Truong, sp. nov.

Thismia (Thismiaceae), whose distributions are currently known from Asia, Australia, and South America, is newly recorded in the Solomon Islands. Through extensive field explorations, three new species of Thismia were discovered in the rainforest of the Solomon Islands and are herein delineated as T. occasa, T. chicoreoides, and T. solomonensis, all belonging to sect. Sarcosiphon. Comprehensive species descriptions, line drawings, and color plates are furnished for each species, accompanied by a distribution map delineating their respective ranges.

Keyword: biodiversity, Burmanniaceae, endemism, mycoheterotrophic, Sarcosiphon, tropical rainforest, taxonomy

Sonerila quangnamensis, a new species from Truong Son Mountain Range, Vietnam, is described and illustrated here. Like S. plagiocardia, S. quangnamensis has obliquely ovate leaves, which are unequal in size within each pair. However, S. quangnamensis is obviously distinct in several characters: the cross-section of its stems and petioles is terete (vs. 4-winged), the adaxial surface of its leaves is covered with hispidulous-pilose (vs. puberulous), the hypanthium is unribbed (vs. 6-ribbed), and its anthers are uniformly yellow (vs. purple to purplish-pink, yellow-tinged towards the base).

Keyword: biodiversity, endemism, Indochina, Sonerila plagiocardia, Sonerila montana, taxonomy

Zingiber locbacense D.D. Nguyễn & C.W. Lin sp. nova (Zingiberaceae) is described and illustrated from southern Lam Dong Province, south Vietnam. It is morphologically similar to Z. collinsii in several characters, from which it differs by having inflorescences with pink bracts and a rounded apex, shorter bracteoles, smaller corolla lobes, and the flowering period that occurs from March to early May. All known occurrences of Z. locbacense are in non-protected areas, and there is a hydroelectric power station being developed in a neighbouring area. Hence we assess the conservational status of Z. locbacense as Endangered (EN).

Zingiber locbacense D.D. Nguyễn & C.W. Lin sp. nova

 

Danh Đức Nguyễn and Che-Wei Lin. 2024. Zingiber locbacense (Zingiberaceae), A New Species from Lam Dong Province, Southern Vietnam.  Annales Botanici Fennici 61(1), 123-130. DOI: 10.5735/085.061.0118

A new species of Begonia (Begoniaceae), B. dakrongensis, from Central Vietnam is described and illustrated. B. dakrongensis resembles B. abbreviata in its rhizomatous habit, short cymose-paniculate inflorescence with congested bracts, 4-tepaled staminate flowers, and 5-tepaled pistillate flowers. However, the new species markedly differs by having obtriangular-spathulate to oblong-obovate or widely obovate lamina (vs. ovate to broadly ovate), not oblique or nearly so (vs. oblique), widely obovate anthers (vs. narrowly obovate), and trigonous-globose ovary (vs. trigonous-ellipsoid).

endemism, Plant Diversity, Plant Taxonomy, Quang Tri Province, Dakrong Nature Reserve, Eudicots