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| Curcuma leonidii Škorničk. & Lưu Photos: Lưu H. Trương
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Abstract
Curcuma leonidii, a new species of Curcuma subg. Hitcheniopsis (Zingiberaceae) from southern Vietnam is described and illustrated here. Curcuma leonidii with flowers similar to some Stahlianthus-like species but inflorescences consisting of up to 8 green bracts and their arrangements conforming to usual ‘classical’ Curcuma-like species provides the much-awaited morphological link between the two genera, of which Stahlianthus have been, based on molecular results, recently proposed to be merged with Curcuma subg. Hitcheniopsis.
Keywords: Bù Gia Mập National Park, Curcuma subgenus Hitcheniopsis, Stahlianthus
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| Curcuma leonidii A. Habit. B. Inflorescence. C. Flower. D. Anther (front, back and side views, scale bar 5 mm).
Photos: Lưu Hồng Trương
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Similar to Curcuma harmandii Gagnep. (subg. Hitcheniopsis) in inflorescence consisting of green bracts with no obvious coma, but differs from it by having a more compact inflorescence (vs. more elongated in C. harmandii), white corolla lobes (vs. greenish), white oblanceolate-spathulate shape of the lateral staminodes (vs. greenish-white nearly linear) and white labellum with rich yellow well-defined median, the sides of the basal half of the median puberulent, patched with red, and nearly plain margin (vs. white labellum with yellow pubescent median bordered around with pink tinge, especially towards the apex, and crisped margin).
Etymology:— We dedicate this small but beautiful species to Prof. Leonid V. Averyanov, who first brought this species to our attention. Prof. Averyanov made exemplary contributions to the knowledge of Vietnamese Orchidaceae. With his main Vietnamese collaborators, Prof. Phan Kế Lộc and Dr. Nguyễn Tiến Hiệp, he also conducted multiple expeditions during past 20 years leading to great enhancement of general floristic and phytogeographic knowledge of Vietnam and adjacent areas of eastern Indochina (e.g. Averyanov et al. 2003).
J. Leong-Škorničková and Hồng Trường Lưu. 2013. Curcuma leonidii, A New Species from southern Vietnam. Phytotaxa. 126(1); 37–42. DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.126.1.4