Species New to Science's Journal

[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.

DOI: 10.3897/phytokeys.94.22065

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