Zingiber chengii Y.H.Tseng, C.M.Wang & Y.C.Lin

urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77204420-1

Fig. 9

PhytoKeys 139: 3 (Wang et al. 2020). Type: TAIWAN – Hsinchu County • Jianshih Township; alt. 320 m; 23 May 2014; Y.H. Tseng 5614; holotype: TCF!.

Additional material examined

TAIWAN – Hsinchu County • same collection data as for holotype; Y.H. Tseng 5615; TCF • ibid.; Chao 4471; TAIF • ibid.; C.M. Wang & C.Y. Li 16051; TNM • ibid.; Y.C. Lin 1148; TCF • Bilin Bridge; Y.C. Lin 1355; TCF.

Description

Perennial rhizomatous herbs, 40–70 cm tall. Rhizomes fleshy, weakly aromatic, compacted, densely branched, 0.8–1.4 cm in diameter, brown externally, light yellow internally; root tubers terete, distant from the rhizomes, ca 3.8 × 1.2 cm, brownish green externally. Leafy shoots forming dense clumps, spreading, each shoot comprised of 11–15 well-developed leaves at flowering. Leaves deciduous, simple, distichous; ligules ca 2 mm long, bilobed, membranaceous, pale green, auriculate; petioles 2.0−3.0 mm long, connate a pulvinus; lamina narrowly ovate, 9−15 × 1.5−2.5 cm, length/ width ratio 5.1−6.6, adaxially green, glabrous, abaxially pale green, pubescent along the midrib, base cuneate obtuse, apex acuminate, margin entire, undulate, chartaceous. Inflorescences 1–2 per plant, arising from rhizomes; peduncles 2.5–6.2 cm long, ascending, glabrous; spike narrowly oblong, ca 10.5–12.5 × 2.0–3.0 cm, each with 1–3flowers; fertile bracts yellowish green, usually tinged with red, narrowly ovate, 2.5–3.0 × 0.6–0.8 cm, involute on both sides, apex acute to attenuate, glabrous externally and internally; bracteole narrowly ovate, 1.8–2.8 × 0.6–0.8 cm, translucent green with slight red tinge, apex acute, involute on both sides, glabrous externally and internally. Flowers 7.0–9.0 cm long, much exserted beyond the bracts; calyx tubular, membranaceous, ca 7 mm long, with unilateral incision, translucent. Corolla tube slender, ca 3.5 cm long, creamy-white, glabrous externally and internally; dorsal corolla lobe narrowly ovate, ca 2.7 × 0.7 cm, purple, apex acuminate, glabrous; lateral corolla lobes narrowly ovate, ca 2.5 × 0.7 cm, purple, apex acuminate, glabrous; labellum widely obovate, ca 3.0 × 2.5 cm, purple, apex retuse or entire, with scattered creamy-white patches at base, glabrous; lateral staminodes narrowly oblong, ca 2.0 × 0.5 cm, connate to labellum at ca basal ⅓ to ¼, purple, apices obtuse, glabrous. Stamen one; filament ca 1 mm, glabrous; anther connective tissue creamy-white, elongate appendage wrapped around style; anther thecae two, ca 1 cm long, longitudinal dehiscence, pollen light yellow; anther crest beak-shaped, ca 1.5 cm long when stretched, purple, apex entire. Style filiform, white, ca 5.5 cm long, extending to the end of anther crest; stigma white, ciliate. Ovary cylindrical, trilocular, ca 6.0 × 3.0 mm, yellowish green, pubescent; epigynous glands two, narrowly conical, ca 6 mm long, pale yellow, apices sharp. Capsule ovate, dehiscence loculicidal, ca 1.5 × 1.3 cm, usually as long as the persistent bract, pericarp yellowish-cream or orange-red inside. Seed ellipsoid, ca 4.0 × 2.0 mm, enveloped by the aril. Aril white, deeply denticulate at apex, enveloping ⅓ of the length of the seeds.

Phenology

Flowering between May and July, and fruiting between July and September.

Distribution

Endemic to Taiwan.

Conservation status

This species was evaluated as Endangered (EN) by Wang et al. (2020).