Thursday, March 25, 2021

[Botany • 2021] Curcuma ruiliensis (Zingiberaceae) • A New Species from Yunnan, China


Curcuma ruiliensis N. H. Xia & Juan Chen

in Chen, Ye & Xia, 2021.
 
Abstract
A new species of Curcuma L. subg. Curcuma (Zingiberaceae) from China, C. ruiliensis N. H. Xia & Juan Chen, is described and illustrated. The chromosome number (2n = 84) is reported here. The new species is most similar to C. kwangsiensis S. G. Lee & C. F. Liang, but distinguished by pale yellow rhizomes, obovate tubers, longer ligule, lanceolate, obliquely spreading coma bracts, apex attenuate never obtuse, not reflexed, densely imbricated, lanceolate to ovate, obliquely spreading fertile bracts, apex narrowly acute never obtuse, not reflexed or slightly reflexed, larger flowers, longer calyx and fan‐shaped labellum.

Keywords: Curcuma ruiliensis, new taxa, Yunnan

Figure 1. Curcuma ruiliensis N. H. Xia & Juan Chen sp. nov.
 (A) habit, (B) terminal inflorescence, showing flowers much exserted from bracts, (C) lateral inflorescence and flower sheaths, (D) flower, front view, (E) fertile bract and coma bract, (F) flower, lateral view, (G) flower dissection, (H) fruit and seeds, (I) rhizomes, (J) tuber, (K) cross-section of a tuber, (L) chromosome number 2n = 84.
 Scale bars: C, E-I = 1 cm, L = 10 μm.

Curcuma ruiliensis N. H. Xia & Juan Chen sp. nov. 

Etymology: The species epithet ‘ruiliensis' is derived from the locality where the first author collected this species, Ruili City, Yunnan, China.

 Chinese vernacular name and uses: 瑞丽莪术 [ruì lì é zhú]. No use has been reported.


Juan Chen, Yu‐Shi Ye and Nian‐He Xia. 2021. Curcuma ruiliensis (Zingiberaceae), A New Species from Yunnan, China. Nordic Journal of Botany. DOI: 10.1111/njb.02910