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Zingiber calcicola Y.H.Tan & H.B.Ding, sp. nov. (Zingiberaceae) from a limestone area in south Yunnan, China is described and illustrated here. It belongs to Zingiber sect. Dymczewiczia due to the terminal inflorescence on the leafy shoot. The description, photographs, habitat, distribution, phenology and a comparison with the allied species are also provided.

Zingiber calcicola Y.H.Tan & H.B.Ding, sp. nov. (Figs. 1���2) Diagnosis: ��� Zingiber calcicola is similar to Z. nitens Newman (2015: 124) in having terminal inflorescence and similar labellum, but differs by its prominently plicate lamina, oblong (vs. triangular) and longer lateral staminodes (1.3���1.6 cm long vs. 0.2���0.6 cm long), elliptic lamina with the size of 13���19 �� 4���6.5 cm (vs. narrowly elliptic lamina with the size of 18���25 �� 2���3 cm) and dwarf habit (40���55 cm tall vs. 65���100 cm tall). Type: ��� CHINA. Yunnan Province: Mengla County, Huiwa village, 21��52���26��� N, 101��27���05��� E, elevation 805 m, 4 September 2020, H.B . Ding & X.D. Zeng T0566 (holotype: HITBC0057379!, isotype: HITBC0057382!). Perennial rhizomatous herbs, 40���55 cm tall, forming a loose clump, with 2���11 leafy shoots. Rhizomes to 3 cm in diam., horizontally elongated and creeping, yellowish brown (fresh rhizomes) to fuscous (drying rhizomes). Leafy shoots slender, with 6���11 leaves, basal ca. 1/3 part of pseudostem leafless; bladeless sheaths 1���3, reddish green, glabrous; leaf sheaths green, pubescent along the margin. Ligules 3���5 mm long, pubescent along the margin, apex truncate or emarginate; petiole 3���15 mm long, glabrous; lamina elliptic, 13���19 �� 4���6.5 cm, apex acuminate to caudate, base obtuse, adaxially dark green and glabrous, abaxially pale green and glabrous, prominently plicate. Inflorescence terminal on leafy shoots, in upright position, peduncle sessile, spike cylindrical to fusiform, 5���8 cm long, ca. 1 cm broad, consisting of 4���8 bracts; bracts green, 2.5���3.8 �� 1.3���2.0 cm, elliptic, glabrous, apex rounded, enclosing 2 flowers at the basal 3 bracts, 1 flower at the other upper bracts (occasionally only 1 flower in all bracts); bracteoles narrowly lanceolate, 1���1.7 cm long, involute, 0.4���0.6 cm wide when flattened, translucent green to white, glabrous, apex acute to obtuse. Flowers 6���6.5 cm long, much exserted beyond the bracts; calyx tubular, 1.8���2.2 cm long, ca. 3 mm in diam. at base, slightly swollen in the middle, ca. 4 mm in diam., membranaceous, semi-translucent cream-white, glabrous, with unilateral incision to 1 mm deep, with 3 teeth at apex; floral tube slender, 3.2���3.5 cm long, shallowly curved, widening gradually towards apex, cream-white and glabrous at base, brownish yellow and glabrous towards the apical part; dorsal corolla lobe lanceolate, 2.3���2.5 �� 0.5���0.8 cm, yellow with semi-translucent veins, glabrous, apex attenuate; lateral corolla lobes narrowly oblong, 2.0���2.2 �� 0.3���0.4 cm, yellow with semi-translucent veins, glabrous, apex attenuate; labellum oblong, 1.9���2.3 �� 0.8���1.0 cm, adaxially dark maroon with small yellow dots and yellow patch in throat, with yellow stripes from base to center; abaxially yellow; glabrous, margins slightly deflexed, apex emarginate for 2 mm; lateral staminodes oblong, 1.3���1.6 �� 0.2���0.3 cm, almost free from labellum, adaxially dark maroon with small yellow dots, abaxially yellow, glabrous, apex obtuse. Stamen 2.2���2.5 cm long with anther crest stretched, filament ca. 2 mm long, yellow, anther ca. 1.2 cm long (excluding anther crest) by ca. 3 mm broad, connective tissue yellow, glabrous; anther thecae ca. 1.2 cm long, dehiscing throughout entire length, pollen yellow; anther crest beak-shaped, 9���11 mm long when stretches, dark maroon with small yellow dots. Style filiform, creamwhite at base, pale yellow and thicken towards apex, glabrous; stigma extending to the tip of anther crest, funnelshaped, pale yellow, ostiole ciliate. Ovary cylindrical, slightly swollen in middle, trilocular, 3���4 �� 3���4 mm, yellowish green, glabrous; epigynous glands two, linear, 4���6 mm long, pale yellow. Fruit ovoid to obovoid, 1.4���1.6 �� 1���1.2 cm, with persistent calyx, pericarp semi-translucent, yellowish cream and red inside. Seeds ellipsoid, 4���5 �� 3���4 mm, black, enveloped by the aril. Aril white, deep denticulate at apex, enveloping 1/3 of the length of the seeds. Phenology: ���Flowering from August to September, fruiting from September to October. Distribution and habitat: ��� Zingiber calcicola is currently known only from its type locality, Mengla County, Yunnan, China. It grows on humus among rocks in tropical seasonal rain forest on limestone hills. Etymology: ���The specific epithet ��� calcicola ���, refers to the habitat in which the species occurs. Conservation status: ���So far, Zingiber calcicola is currently known only from the type locality in south Yunnan. Although the habitat is under protected in mini nature reserve, but only one population with less than 500 mature individuals has been found, and the extent of occurrence (EOO) is less than 40 km 2, so we propose to classify it as ���Critically Endangered��� (CR B1ab(iii,v)) (IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee 2019). Specimens examined (paratypes):��� CHINA. Yunnan Province: Mengla County, Huiwa village, 21��52���26��� N, 101��27���08��� E, elevation 774 m, 4 September 2020, H.B . Ding & X.D. Zeng T0565 (HITBC); ibid., 21��52���31��� N, 101��27���00��� E, elevation 717 m, 4 September 2020, H.B . Ding & X.D. Zeng T0567 (HITBC); ibid., 21��52���27��� N, 101��27���07��� E, elevation 787 m, 6 September 2020, H.B . Ding & X.D. Zeng T0568 (HITBC, PE, KUN); ibid., 21��52���32.39��� N, 101��27���31.40��� E, elevation 856 m, 16 August 2021, H.B . Ding, B. Yang & X.D. Zeng T0951 (HITBC); ibid., 21��52���37.24��� N, 101��27���42.21��� E, elevation 717 m, 16 August 2021, H.B . Ding, B. Yang & X.D. Zeng T0952 (HITBC). Notes: Zingiber calcicola belongs to sect. Dymczewiczia due to the terminal inflorescence on the leafy shoot. It is also similar to Z. plicatum ��korničk. & Q.B.Nguy ���n in Leong-��korničkov�� et al. (2015: 211) and Z. sirindhorniae Triboun & Keeratikiet (2016: 2) in having terminal inflorescence and the limestone habitat, but it differs from the first in its smaller terminal inflorescence (5���8 �� ca. 1 cm vs. 12���18 �� 1.5���2.0 cm), yellow corolla lobes (vs. cream-white to pale yellow) and dark maroon labellum dotted with small yellow dots (vs. peach-purple to purple, with cream white or pale yellow lines). It differs from the second by its prominently plicate lamina (vs. non-plicate), truncate or emarginate ligule (vs. bilobed) and yellow corolla lobes (vs. white)., Published as part of Ding, Hong-Bo, Quan, Dong-Li, Zeng, Xiao-Dong, Li, Jian-Wu & Tan, Yun-Hong, 2021, Zingiber calcicola (Zingiberaceae), a new species from a limestone area in south Yunnan, China, pp. 65-69 in Phytotaxa 525 (1) on pages 65-68, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.525.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/5681859, {"references":["Newman, M. F. (2015) A new species of Zingiber (Zingiberaceae) from Lao P. D. R. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 67 (1): 123 - 127. https: // doi. org / 10.3850 / S 2382581215000137","IUCN Standards and Petitions Committee. (2019) Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Version 14. Prepared by the Standards and Petitions Committee. Downloadable from [http: // www. iucnredlist. org / documents / RedListGuidelines. pdf]","Leong-Skornickova, J., Binh, N. Q., Dang, T. H., Sida, O., Rybkova, R. & Vuong, T. B. (2015) Nine new Zingiber species (Zingiberaceae) from Vietnam. Phytotaxa 219 (3): 201 - 220. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / phytotaxa. 219.3.1","Triboun, P. & Keeratikiet, K. (2016) Zingiber sirindhorniae, a remarkable new species in Zingiber section Dymczewiczia (Zingiberaceae) from Thailand. The Thailand Natural History Museum Journal 10 (1): 1 - 6."]}

Yang, Bin, Wang, Ping-Yuan, Tong, Yi-Hua, Tan, Yun-Hong (2021): Taxonomic notes on Agapetes (Ericaceae) from Xizang, China: Agapetes leiocarpa, a new synonym of A. atrosanguinea, and an updated description of A. camelliifolia. Phytotaxa 524 (2): 119-124, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.524.2.7

Agapetes camelliifolia Huang (1987: 318); Huang (1991: 193); Fang & Stevens (2005: 512). Fig. 2 Type:��� CHINA. Xizang: M��dog County, Beibeng Xiang, Xirang, Sangxingpeng. 22 April 1983, B. S . Li & S. Z. Cheng 4242 (holotype: PE 00194001!). Description:���Shrubs to 30 cm tall, with globose root tubers. Twigs terete, 1���2 mm in diam., densely dark brown setose. Leaves scattered; petiole 2���3 mm long, glabrous; leaf blade pale green abaxially, green adaxially, ovate, ovateelliptic to elliptic, 1.4���4.2 �� 0.9���2.4 cm, leathery, glabrous, secondary veins 4���8 pairs with fine veins conspicuous impressed adaxially, slightly raised or unconspicuous abaxially, base broadly cuneate, obtuse to rounded, margin slightly revolute, remotely inconspicuously serrate, apex acute to apiculate. Inflorescences axillary, corymbose, 1���4- flowered; peduncles 1���2 mm long, glabrous; bracts minute, triangular, 0.5���1 mm long, acuminate at apex, scaly, caducous. Pedicels 6���11 mm long; floral bracts and bracteoles minute, triangular, ca. 0.5 mm long, acuminate at apex, scaly, caducous. Calyx glabrous; lobes triangular, 2.5���3 �� l.5��� 2 mm, entire, acuminate at apex. Corolla tubular, sightly angular, red, 2.0��� 2.1 cm �� 6���7 mm; lobes broadly ovate-triangular, 1.2���1.5 �� 2.5���3 mm, yellowish-green, obtuse to mucronate at apex. Stamens 1.5���1.7 cm long; filaments flat, white tinged with reddish, 2���2.2 mm long, slightly incurved, glabrous; anthers 1.5���1.6 mm long, thecae ca. 6 mm long, with small appendages at base, appendages 1 mm long, tubules 9���10 mm long, without spur. Ovary 3.5���4.5 �� 3���3.7 mm, pseudo-10-locular. Style linear, ca. 2.1 cm long, glabrous, ca. 1 mm impressed inside the disc; stigma truncate. Immature berry shortly cylindric, ca. 3 mm in diam. Phenology: ���Flowering from December to February, and fruiting maybe in April to May. Distribution and habitat: ���This species is distributed in Southeast of Xizang, and epiphytic on trees in subtropical mountain evergreen broad-leaved forests at elevations of 1350���1800 m. Notes: ���Our materials collected from M��dog show a little variation in leaf blades, which are ovate to ovateelliptic, 1.4���4.2 �� 0.9���2.4 cm, with an obtuse to rounded base, and an apiculate apex, while the type specimen of A. camelliifolia has elliptic leaves with a broadly cuneate base and an acute apex (Huang 1987); other than that they match well each other. Agapetes camelliifolia is similar to A. praeclara Marquand (1929: 197) (Fig. 3), but can be distinguished from the latter by its fewer leaves with a larger blade (Huang 1987, Tong 2014). Agapetes camelliifolia is also very closed with A. muscorum Airy Shaw (1968: 473), but the former has ovate, ovate-elliptic to elliptic (vs. ovate) leaves and longer (2.0��� 2.1 cm vs. 1.0��� 1.1 cm) and tubular (vs. urceolate) corolla (Airy Shaw 1968). However, when describing A. muscorum, Airy Shaw (1968) pointed out that ���the flower measurements given are not the maximum possible, since the great majority of flowers on the specimen are still in bud, and in the one flower which is actually open the stigma has not yet reached the level of the mouth of the corolla���. Thus, the developed corolla shape and size of A. muscorum are actually unknown yet. Banik & Sanjappa (2014) considered A. muscorum conspecific with A. praestigiosa Airy Shaw (1958: 495) and treated it as a synonym under the latter. But A. praestigiosa has much denser leaves with thicker and elliptic blades that are very different from those of A. muscrorum. We are not sure whether the treatment of Banik & Sanjappa (2014) is appropriate, so the relationships among A. camelliifolia, A. muscorum and A. praestigiosa still need further study. Additional specimens examined: ��� CHINA. Xizang: M��dog County: Beibeng Xiang, De���er gong Village, 1394m, 26 December 2020, Bin Yang & Ping-Yuan Wang T772 (HITBC); ibidem, 1630 m, 26 December 2020, Bin Yang & Ping-Yuan Wang T780 (HITBC); ibid., 1797 m, 27 December 2020, Bin Yang & Ping-Yuan Wang T791 (HITBC); ibidem, 1600 m, 21 December 2020. Min Deng & Yan Luo DM23583 (HITBC)., Published as part of Yang, Bin, Wang, Ping-Yuan, Tong, Yi-Hua & Tan, Yun-Hong, 2021, Taxonomic notes on Agapetes (Ericaceae) from Xizang, China: Agapetes leiocarpa, a new synonym of A. atrosanguinea, and an updated description of A. camelliifolia, pp. 119-124 in Phytotaxa 524 (2) on pages 121-123, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.524.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/5642108, {"references":["Huang, S. H. (1987) New taxa of the genus Agapetes D. Don ex G. Don from Xizang. Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 25 (4): 314 - 318.","Huang, S. H. (1991) Agapetes. In: Fang, R. C. (Ed.) Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae, vol. 57 (3). Science Press, Beijing, pp. 165 - 207.","Fang, R. Z. & Stevens, P. F. (2005) Agapetes. In: Wu, Z. Y. & Raven, P. H. (Eds.) Flora of China, vol. 14. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, pp. 504 - 517.","Marquand, C. V. B. (1929) The botanical collection made by Captain F. Kingdon Ward in the eastern Himalaya and Tibet in 1924 - 1925. Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Botany 48 (321): 149 - 229. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1095 - 8339.1929. tb 00587. x","Tong, Y. H. (2014) A systematic study of the genus Agapetes D. Don ex G. Don (Ericaceae). PhD Thesis, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, China, pp. 1 - 224.","Airy Shaw, H. K. (1968) Studies in the Ericales: XV: New or Noteworthy Agapetes from Assam and Burma. Kew Bulletin 21 (3): 471 - 476. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 4107933","Banik, D. & Sanjappa, M. (2014) Agapetes. In: Sanjappa, M. & Sastry, A. R. K. (Eds.) Fascicles of Flora of India, Fascicle 25, Ericaceae. Botanical Survey of India, St. Joseph's Press, pp. 287 - 389.","Airy Shaw, H. K. (1958) Studies in the Ericales: XI. Further new species and notes on the Agapetes of continental Asia. Kew Bulletin 13 (3): 468 - 514. https: // doi. org / 10.2307 / 4118130"]}