Sunday, March 18, 2018

[Botany • 2018] Hedychium putaoense • A New Species (Zingiberaceae) from Putao, Kachin State, Northern Myanmar


Hedychium putaoense  Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding

in Ding, Bin, Zhou, et al., 2018.

Abstract
Hedychium putaoense Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding, a new species of Zingiberaceae from Putao, Kachin state, Northern Myanmar, is described and illustrated. It is similar to H. densiflorum Wall. and H. longipedunculatum A.R.K. Sastry & D.M. Verma, but differs by its very small bract (4–6 × 2.5–3 mm vs. 18–19 × 5–5.5 mm and ca. 11 × 7 mm, respectively), semicircle and dark red bracteole, orange flower and broadly falcate to lanceolate lateral staminodes.

Keywords: Hedychium, Myanmar, Taxonomy, Morphology, Zingiberaceae


 

    



Figure 1. Hedychium putaoense Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding. 
a–b Habit c–d Inflorescence e–f Front and lateral view of flower g Bract h Bracteole i Calyx j–k Corolla lobe l–m Lateral staminodes n Labellum o Corolla tube with anther and calyx p Ovary with pistil and glands.

Photographed by Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding.

Hedychium putaoense Y.H.Tan & H.B.Ding, sp. nov.

Diagnosis: Hedychium putaoense Y.H. Tan & H.B. Ding is morphologically similar to H. densiflorum Wall. and H. longipedunculatum A.R.K. Sastry & D.M. Verma, but it can be easily distinguished by its very small bract (4–6 × 2.5–3 mm vs. 18–19 × 5–5.5 mm and ca. 11 × 7 mm, respectively) and bracteole (2–2.5 × 3–3.5 mm vs. ca. 9 × 2 mm and ca. 6 × 4 mm, respectively), orange flower and broadly falcate to lanceolate lateral staminodes.


Distribution and habitat: This new species is known to grow at the top of the mountain from Masabu village to Namti village, Putao District, Kachin State, where it grows epiphytically on the trees of tropical montane forests at an elevation of ca. 1400–1800 m.

Etymology: The species is named after the type locality, Putao county, in Kachin State, Myanmar.


 Hong-Bo Ding, Yang Bin, Shi-Shun Zhou, Ren Li, Mya Bhone Maw, Win Maung Kyaw and Yun-Hong Tan. 2018. Hedychium putaoense (Zingiberaceae), A New Species from Putao, Kachin State, Northern Myanmar. In: Jin X-H, Shui Y-M, Tan Y-H, Kang M (Eds) Plant Diversity in Southeast Asia. PhytoKeys. 94: 51-57.  DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.94.22065