Plate 1. Inflorescences with flowers of
• A: Larsenianthus wardianus W.J.Kress, Thet Htun & Bordelon
• B: Larsenianthus careyanus (Benth.) W.J.Kress & Mood
• C: Larsenianthus assamensis S.Dey, Mood, & S.Choudhury
• D: Larsenianthus arunachalensis M.Sabu, Sanoj & T.Rajesh Kumar.
All photos by the authors.
Larsenianthus, a new Asian genus of Gingers (Zingiberaceae) with four species
Abstract
Larsenianthus W.J.Kress & Mood, gen. nov. is described with one new combination and three new species. • Larsenianthus careyanus (Benth.) W.J.Kress & Mood, comb. nov., is widespread in India and present-day Bangladesh • L. wardianus W.J.Kress, Thet Htun & Bordelon, sp. nov., is from upper Myanmar in Kachin State • L. assamensis S.Dey, Mood, & S.Choudhury, sp. nov., is restricted to Assam, India • L. arunachalensis M.Sabu, Sanoj & T.Rajesh Kumar, sp. nov., has only been found in Arunachal Pradesh, India.
A phylogenetic analysis using the plastid trnK intron and nuclear ITS DNA sequence data indicates that the four species of Larsenianthus form a monophyletic lineage that is sister to Hedychium, a geographically widespread genus of about 50 species in tribe Zingibereae of subfamily Zingiberoideae. A dichotomous key and three-locus DNA barcodes are provided as aids for the identification of the four species of Larsenianthus.
Kress, W.J., Mood, J., Sabu, M., Prince, L., Dey, S., and Sanoj, E. 2010. Larsenianthus, a new Asian genus of Gingers (Zingiberaceae) with four species. PhytoKeys, 1: 15-32. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.1.658
