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A new yellow Camellia species from North Vietnam

Tran Ninh1 and Le Nguyet Hai Ninh2

1 Faculty of Biology. Ha Noi University of Science. Vietnam National University
2 Faculty of Biology. Hoa Lu University. Ninh Binh, Vietnam. lenguyethaininh@gmail.com

Vietnam has suitable climatic conditions for the growth and development of the species in the Camellia genus. The proof is that more than 50 Camellia species have been discovered in Vietnam (Ninh T. 2002). Over the last ten years, more new Camellia species have been discovered in Vietnam. (Hakoda N., Ninh T., H.T. Chang, G. Orel, A. Curry).

In recent years, under the sponsorship of, and support from, the Japanese Camellia Society, we have conducted several surveys in some provinces in the southern and northern regions of Vietnam. Early in 2015, while conducting the field work in the north of Vietnam, we visited the nursery in the Tam Dao National Park, where a lot of endemic Camellia species from the Tam Dao mountain were being propagated, together with some from private camellia gardens. We were delighted to find that the propagation techniques of Vietnamese agricultural engineers and gardeners have made progress and now achieve high efficiency. In particular, more than 10 species of yellow Camellia have been propagated successfully, including currently C. euphlebia, C. hakodae, C. petelotii, C. phanii and C. tamdaoensis.

During that survey, we collected some specimens of a yellow Camellia species in Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam. The initial observations, especially the detailed observation of the morphological characteristics of the leaves, made us think it was C. hakodae. However, the study of the other characteristics showed us that it was a distinct species. The species is named Camellia luongii Tran et Le.

FigFigure 1 Camellia luongii growing in its natural environment

The following is the detailed descriptions of this species:

Camellia luongii Tran et Le, sp.nov. TYPE: Vietnam, Province of Thai Nguyen, Dinh Hoa district, 05 Feb. 2015. Collector: Le Nguyet Hai Ninh. Coordinates: detail on Type specimen. Elevation: 263m. Holotype: HN 06215 (HNM). Figure 1-5, Plate 1.

Subgenus Thea, Section Chrysantha.

Shrubs 1.5 m high, mostly regeneration, trunk 3-10 cm in diameter; young branches yellow-brown, glabrous; older branches pale brown, glabrous. Leaf stalked; blades from broad elliptic (lower), 16.5-19.5 cm long and 10.7–11.5 cm wide, base rounded, apex shortly acuminate 3-5 mm long, sometime obtuse, to elliptic to narrowly elliptic (upper), 16.0-19.5 cm long, 7.0-9.0 cm wide, base cuneate, apex caudate 10 mm, rarely blades nearly ovate, minutely denticulate, closely at the upper part and apex, obscurely at the base, teeth 1-3 mm apart, coriaceous, glabrous, shining and deep green above, glabrous, yellowish green with minutely dark verruculose below, young leaves upper surface yellow-brown, lower surface yellow-brown pale purple, glabrous, lateral veins impressed above, prominent below, 11-13 pairs; petioles 9-15 mm long, glabrous.

Fig

Flowering branches

Fig

Branch with bud

Flowers pedicellate, solitary at the ends of branches or axillary, about 5 cm in diameter. Pedicel 15 mm long, glabrous, bearing 7 bracteoles opposite and scattered along the pedicel; bracteoles broad triangular, lowermost 4 mm wide and 1.5mm high, uppermost 10 mm wide and 4 mm high, glabrous on the back, white, minutely and scattered ciliolate, finely white puberulous on the face; sepals 5, broad triangular with rounded apex to suborbicular transitional to outermost petals, 7-12 mm high and 12-16 mm wide, yellowish green, glabrous on the back, white and scattered ciliolate, yellow like petals on the face with white and scattered puberulous (lowermost) or subglabrous or glabrous (uppermost). Corolla light yellow, of about 12 petals, glabrous, from suborbicular, concave, 18-25 mm long and 15-16 mm wide (outermost), to broad elliptic, 30 mm long and 17 mm wide, to very narrowly elliptic, curved out, 33-40 mm long and 15-13 mm wide (innermost), outer petals 1-7 united for 1-5 mm at the base, remaining petals united with androecium 5-6 mm at the base. Androecium about 24 mm long, outer filaments united for 15-16 mm from the base and forming a fleshy tube, filaments 20-28mm long, innermost filaments about 16 mm long, glabrous; anthers 2-3mm long. Gynoecium about 27 mm long, glabrous; ovary about 3 mm high and 3 mm in diameter, 3-locular; styles 3, free to the base, about 24 mm long. Fruits in formation. Seeds not seen.

Distribution: Dinh Hoa district, province of Thai Nguyen, Vietnam.

Phenology: grows on the red-soil mountain terrain, high density. Altitude: 200-700 m. Flowers in the months from December to February. Fruits begin forming from February.

Etymology: The specific epithet honors Dr. To Buu Luong, who has brought together Vietnamese and Japanese camellia lovers, and has supported the field research of the author.

Fig

Flower detail

Fig

Fruit in formation

As noted above, this species resembles C. hakodae in leaf morphology, but it differs in leaf size, pairs of lateral veins, number and characteristics of bracteoles, petals and gynoecium (C. hakodae has larger leaves ‘23.5-29cm long and 9-11.5cm wide’, ‘lateral veins 12-16 pairs’, ‘bracteoles 5-6’, petals pubescent, styles 4-5). It also differs from other species having 3 capels in the gynoecium, glabrous styles, such as C. euphlebia, C. phanii. Specifically, C. euphlebia has shorter pedicel ‘about 5mm long’, puberulous petals; C. phanii has ‘lateral vein 8-10 pairs’, petals ‘pubescent on both side’, filaments ‘pubescent at the base’.

According to locals, this species grew very densly over the mountains at one time, but few people were interested in these plants. However, from 2011 up to the present, all young and adult flower-buds, dried flowers, fruits and seeds of this species have been exploited for sale, while branches have been cut to provide propagation material for garden plants. Therefore the remaining wild trees are mainly regenerated from the original plant. Moreover, the status of the remaining trees is not good. They are covered by the large trees that were felled when people cleared the soil to prepare for industrial crops.

FigPlants grow at high density (the three plants shown here are in an area of
about 15m) but conditions are not good for their development

Their ovary and styles suffer from heavy worm infestation as a result of containing sustantial amounts of nectar. Young leaves are also in a similar situation. Not only that, the time when these Type samples were collected was also the time many locals were preparing for the next round of exploitation with orders of 2,000 (two thousand) wild individual plants to sell to traders. Therefore, the situation of this species in their nature habitat is very alarming.

Plate1Camellia luongii Tran et Le (Drawn by Le Ng. Hai Ninh

A Part of branch; B Leaf, back surface; C Flowering shoot; D Flower; E Androecium with innermost petals; F Sepal, inner and outer surface; G Pedicel, sepals, outermost petal and gynoecium; H Petals 1-12; I Stamens; J Anthers; K Cross-section of ovary

References

  1. Chang Hung Ta & Bruce Bartholomew, 1984. Camellias. B.T.Bastford Ltd.London.
  2. George Orel et al. 2014. Four New Species and Two New Sections of Camellia (Theaceae) from Vietnam. Novon: A Journal for Botanical Nomenclature, 23(3): 307-318.
  3. G.Orel & A.S.Curry, 2014. A new species of Camellia Section Dalatia (Theaceae) from Vietnam. Telopea: Journal of Plant Systematic, 17: 99–105.
  4. Ninh T. & Hakoda N. 1998. Three new species of the genus Camellia from Vietnam. International Camellia Journal, 30: 76-79.
  5. Ninh T. 2002. Biodiversity of the Genus Camellia of Vietnam. International Camellia Journal, 34: 80-85.
  6. Hakoda N., Kirino S. & Ninh T. 2007. New Species of Genus Camellia in Vietnam. International Camellia Journal, 39: 54-57.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank to Members of Japanese Camellia Society who provided professional knowledge for author’s researches in recent years.

 
 

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