Search

The results of phylogenetic analysis, based on the whole chloroplast genome and morphological study support the transfer of a long ignored bamboo species, Sasa gracilis, to the recently established genus, Sinosasa, in this study. Morphologically, this species differs from all the other known Sinosasa species by having very short (2–3 mm) foliage leaf inner ligules, which is unusual in this genus. A revised description of its morphology and colour photos are also provided.

Sasa tomentosa is transferred to the genus Yushania following a reassessment based on a new collection with pachymorph and long-necked rhizomes from its type locality in Guangxi, China. Morphologically, it is most similar to Yushania doupengshanensis, but differs in culm, branch complement and foliage leaf characters. A revised description of its morphology and color photos are also provided.

Pseudosasa was confirmed as polyphyletic by recent phylogenetic analyses, with Chinese species of Pseudosasa distantly related to those from Japan. Among the Chinese species of Pseudosasa, Pseudosasa pubiflora is a morphologically unique as well as taxonomically problematic species endemic to South China, of which the generic designation is still uncertain. Molecular analyses based on both plastid and nuclear genomic data demonstrated that this species is closest to the recently published genus Sinosasa. Morphologically, the two are somewhat similar to each other in flowering branches developing at the nodes of every order of branches, raceme-like units of inflorescence with 3–5 short spikelets, each spikelet with few florets including a rudimentary one at the apex, and each floret with 3 stamens and 2 stigmas. However, P. pubiflora is very different from Sinosasa species in many reproductive and vegetative characters, such as the morphology of paracladia (lateral spikelet “pedicels”), the absence or existence of pulvinus at the base of paracladia, the relative length of the upper glume and the lowest lemma, the shape of lodicules and primary culm buds, the branch complement, the morphology of nodes, culm leaves and dried foliage leaf blades, and the number of foliage leaves per ultimate branchlet. The morphological and molecular evidence warrants recognition of a new genus to accommodate this unique species, which is here named Kengiochloa. After consulting related literature and examination of herbarium specimens or specimen photos, a taxonomic revision of K. pubiflora and its synonyms was made, and it was confirmed that four names, viz. P. gracilis, Yushania lanshanensis, Arundinaria tenuivagina and P. parilis, should be merged with K. pubiflora, while Indocalamus pallidiflorus and Acidosasa paucifolia are distinct species.

Sasa oblongula was described in 1987 based on a cultivated plant at the bamboo garden of Sun Yat-sen University. This species has two or three branches at the upper nodes, which differ from the rest of Sasa species that have a single branch per node. During the field trip to Baishi Town, Yunfu City, Guangdong Province in July 2021, one bamboo species with oblong foliage leaves was collected and matches the isotype. Then, our question was to test the identity of S. oblongula concerning other Sasa species based on morphology and molecular data. To do that, we sequenced the whole chloroplast genome of S. oblongula and did a phylogenetic analysis. Our morphological results indicate that the new collection is S. oblongula. The phylogenetic tree showed that S. oblongula is close to Pseudosasa, instead of Sasa species. Therefore, we transferred it to the genus Pseudosasa, and a revised description of P. oblongula is provided here.

Fargesia sapaensis N.H.Xia & Y.Y.Zhang, a new species from Lao Cai, Vietnam, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to F. dracocephala T.P.Yi and F. fansipanensis T.Q.Nguyen, but differs from the former mainly in its mid-culm complement of 3–7 branches at each node, auricles of culm sheaths absent, 2‒6 florets per spikelet, 7‒10 mm long first glume and 2‒3 mm long lodicules, and from the latter by its culm sheaths shorter than culm internodes, 3–4 leaves per ultimate branch, and a mid-culm complement of 3–7 branches at each node.

A new genus of Arundinarieae, Khoonmengia, is established to accommodate a unique new bamboo species, K. honbaensis, from central-southern Vietnam. The morphological features, habitats and distribution of Khoonmengia and related genera, i.e. Ampelocalamus and Hsuehochloa, are compared. The characters of its scrambling habit, internodes with brownish green dots, conspicuous nodes swollen at one side, elliptic buds wholly sunken into culm, extravaginal branching pattern, mid-culm branch complement with one central dominant branch elongating to reiterate the culm accompanied by several lateral slender branches, swollen culm sheath base with a distinctive zone of transverse wrinkles, synflorescence composed of only one spikelet, single or several to many synflorescences arranged into a raceme or panicle terminal on leafy branches, purple anthers and nut-like caryopsis with hardened pericarp and loosely adherent lemma and palea distinguish K. honbaensis from morphologically similar taxa. In order to investigate the phylogenetic position of this unknown bamboo, molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear gene GBSSI were also conducted, and the results proved that K. honbaensis is definitely a member of Arundinarieae with an isolated position, which also indicated that this species could not be assigned to any of the already described genera and supported the establishment of the new genus.

Schizostachyum dakrongenseis a new species of woody bamboo from Dakrong Nature Reserve, Quang Tri Province, central Vietnam. It is closely related toS. hainanensebut differs by its pseudospikelets having terminal rachilla segments with ciliate margin and 6 bracts; culm sheath with the base of the outer margin having a slight projection below its point of attachment at the node, as well as sheath blades usually less than half as long as the culm sheath proper; and leaf blades pale-puberulent and sparsely pilosulous on the abaxial surface. The new species is described and illustrated here.

Due to their specialised flowering biology where frequent or even annual flowering is uncommon, reproductive materials of bamboos are not always available, so hampering taxonomic interpretation and research into other aspects. Bambusa contracta, B. corniculata, B. cornigera and B. subtruncata were established only based on vegetative materials and flowering or fruiting material has been hitherto unknown. The floral morphology of these four species is described for the first time and, correspondingly, epitypes are designated to support a more complete interpretation of the species.

A new bamboo species, Phyllostachys danxiashanensis (Poaceae: Bambusoideae), is described from Danxia Mountain, Northern Guangdong. This new species is similar to P. rivalis in having papery culm sheaths, erect culm sheath blades and the absence of culm sheath auricles, but it differs from P. rivalis by its much longer cilia on culm sheath ligules, hispid culm sheaths, and fewer leaves on ultimate branches.

Here we describe and illustrate a new species, Melocalamus grandiauritus N.H. Xia, Q.M. Qin & J. B. Ni sp. nov., from the lowland forest in Thanh Hoa Province, Vietnam. Molecular phylogeny based on the GBSSI indicates that this species is a member of Melocalamus. Morphologically, M. grandiauritus is different from all congeneric species in Vietnam. It is somewhat similar to M. pacoensis H.N.Nguyen & V.T.Tran, but is easily distinguished by having much wider suborbicular culm leaf auricles, very high and ventricose auricles of foliage leaves, entire ligules of both culm leaves and foliage leaves, and large leaf blades.

The floral morphology of Vaccinium guangdongense is described and supplemented based on living plants with flowers. According to the supplementary description, V. guangdongense can be differentiated from the closely related V. bracteatum by puberulent inflorescence rachis and pedicels, ovate to elliptic bracts, anthers with spurs 0.3 mm long and tubules ca. 1.5 times as long as thecae. The type information, distribution, ecology, conservation status and color photos are also provided.

A new species, Schizostachyum longinternodium, is described and illustrated. It is closely related to S. funghomii, but differs by its shorter culm sheaths with protuberances on culm sheaths shoulders, prophyll with an acuminate apex and tubular connate filaments.