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| Curcuma wanenlueanga Saensouk, Thomudtha & Boonma in Saensouk, Boonma, Thomudtha, et al., 2021. |
Abstract
Curcuma wanenlueanga Saensouk, Thomudtha & Boonma, a new species of Curcuma subgenus Curcuma (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand was described with detailed illustrations, and photographs. The dominant morphological description is terminal inflorescence, leaf adaxially green with reddish-purple along the midrib, leaf-sheath with reddish-brown tinge. Moreover, the color and smell rhizome of C. wanenlueanga has yellow with a darker core internally. It is distributed in Mae Hong Son Province, Northern Thailand, and cultivated throughout the country, i.e. Nakhon Nayok, Maha Sarakham, Chiang Mai, Tak, Chantaburi, Suratthani, and Kanchanaburi Provinces. It is used as Thai traditional medicinal. It grows in in sandy loam soil and well-drained in the mixed-deciduous forest, at elevation 700-900 m asl. It is accompanied by a revised key to 26 species of Curcuma subgenus Curcuma from Thailand.
Keywords: Curcuma, new species, Thailand, Zingiberaceae
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| Curcuma wanenlueanga Saensouk, Thomudtha & Boonma sp. nov. (A) inflorescence with flowers and sterile bract–side view, (B) lateral staminodes, (C) labellum, (D) dorsal corolla lobe–front and side view, (E) lateral corolla lobes, (F) anther–front and side view, (G) habitus, (H) flower with calyx and ovary, (I) bracteoles, (J) calyx, (K) epigynous glands with ovary. Drawn by Thawatphong Boonma |
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| Curcuma wanenlueanga Saensouk, Thomudtha & Boonma sp. nov. (A) flower–side view, (B) back view of flower with the back view of stamen, (C) flower with bracteoles and inflorescence with flowers–side view, (D) flower–front view, (E) plants in natural habitat in oblique view to show leaf-adaxially with reddish-purple tinge along the midrib and its inflorescence. Photographed by Thawatphong Boonma |
Curcuma wanenlueanga Saensouk, Thomudtha & Boonma, sp. nov.
subgenus Curcuma
Curcuma wanenlueanga is belonged to the subgenus Curcuma according to the presence of epigynous glands, inflorescence with coma bracts, flowers closed-form, anther spurs acute, and downward-pointed. The morphological description and producing terminal inflorescence of C. wanenlueanga make it similar to C. longa and C. amada, but differ in having leaf adaxially green with reddish-purple along the midrib, leaf-sheath with reddish-brown tinge, whereas C. longa and C. amada are green without reddish tinge. Moreover, the color and smell of their rhizome can easily distinguishable from each other which C. amada has light yellow, white towards the periphery, and smell of green mango while C. wanenlueanga has yellow with a darker core internally and C. longa has deep orange-yellow internally, slightly to strongly aromatic respectively without the smell of green mango as in C. amada (Table 1).
Etymology: The specific epithet ‘wanenlueanga’ derived from Thai vernacular name of this species which “wan” means “herbs”, “en” means “tendons” referred to its medicinal properties used in traditional medicine to treat beriberi related to tendons and "lueang" means "yellow" referred to its yellow rhizome.
Vernacular name: “Wan-En-Lueang - ว่านเอ็นเหลือง” in Thai language.
Surapon Saensouk, Thawatphong Boonma, Adisak Thomudtha, Pariya Thomudtha and Piyaporn Saensouk. 2021. Curcuma wanenlueanga (Zingiberaceae), A New Species of Subgenus Curcuma from Thailand. Biodiversitas: Journal of Biological Diversity. 22(7); 2988-2994. DOI: 10.13057/biodiv/d220752
