All photos © L. Averyanov
Description of the type specimen:
Aspidistra ignota Aver., V.C.Canh, Tillich & N.S.Khang sp. nov.
Herb perennial, terrestrial, rhizomatous. Rhizome terete, hypogeous, creeping, plagiotropic, few to many branched; branches 7–10(12) mm in diameter, 4–6(10) cm long, densely nodal, covered by few dissected papyraceous remains of cataphylls, with (2)3–5(7) erect leaves placed close to each other. Cataphylls convolute, linear to narrowly cuneate, to 12 cm long. Leaves arising from apical parts of rhizomes, petiolate, internodes 4–8 mm long; petiole slender, erect, straight, to 45 cm long; leaf blade upright to arching, narrowly ovate to narrowly elliptic, cuneate at base, shortly attenuate at apex, (22)25–30(34) cm long, (5)7–8(9) cm wide, uniformly dark glossy green, plicate, with prominent midvein on lower surface and 3–4(5) inconspicuous secondary veins at both sides. Flowers odorless, solitary, pedunculate. Peduncle white, dirty brownish gray in fruits, (1.8)2.2–3(3.4) mm long, 2–2.2 mm in diameter, with 2–3(4) scattered and 2(3) bracts at base of perigone; lower bracts broadly triangular ovate, scarious, white with few light purple markings, blunt to obtuse at apex, 4–6(8) mm long and wide, the distal bracts adpressed to perigone, broadly triangular-ovate, concave, 5–8(10) mm long, 5–10(12) mm wide, sometimes splitting longitudinally. Perigone tube urceolate, (11)12–14(15) mm tall and wide, broadest at the base, distinctly narrowing to the apex, smooth to finely verruculose, purple violet outside, dark purple violet to almost black inside, with 6 equal lobes. Perigone lobes oblong ligulate, rounded at apex, fleshy, recurved, white, with prominent warts especially in lower third, 4.5–5(5.5) mm long, (3)3.2–3.4(3.6) mm wide, each inside with 2 low ridge-like fleshy keels running down to the middle of perigone tube. Stamens 6, distinctly filamentose; anthers on short erect filament, bean-shaped, concave at base, 1.6–2 mm long, 1.2–1.4 mm wide, placed near to the base of perigone tube, with pollen sacs oriented upwards; pollen bright yellow. Pistil mushroom-shaped, with peltate stigma; ovary inconspicuous; style stout, pure white, shortly obpyramidal, broadening to the apex from the base, (1.6)1.8–2.2(2.4) mm tall, (2)2.2–2.6(2.8) mm in diameter. Stigma large, fleshy, circular in outline, (1.4)1.6–1.8(2) mm in diameter, shallowly trilobe, each lobe divided into 2 lobules by the small insignificant sinus, upper surface lilac violet with unclear trifurcate white markings, finely papillose, margin slightly upcurved, upper surface almost flat, smooth, dirty purple–violet with white center. Fruit berry-like, indehiscent, globular, slightly oblate from poles, (1)1.2–1.3(1.5) cm tall, (1.6)1.8–2(2.2) cm in diameter, in basal half smooth and finely dirty violet, roughly pricky and dark green at apical half, when old uniform dark gray, with (3)4–5(6) large seeds inside.