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Ophiopogon elatior from south-eastern Yunnan Province of China is described here as new to science. This species is morphologically similar to O. grandis, but differs from the latter species by leaf size (60–80 cm × 5–6 mm vs 25–55 cm × 7–11 mm), scape size (80–100 cm vs 15–20 cm), and flower color (purple-dotted vs white). Moreover, the new species can be easily distinguished from all known species of Ophiopogon with its erect and very tall scape highly overtopping the basal grass-like foliage.

Polystichum jinpingense Z.L.Liang, Liang Zhang & Li Bing Zhang, sp. nov. (Figures 1, 2). Type:��� CHINA. Yunnan Province: Jinping County, Tongchangxiang Town, Maobeiwan Village, elev. 1800���2000 m, 22��45���53.45���N, 103��01���22.20���E, on limestone rocks in disturbed secondary forest, 9 September 2019, Z.- L . Liang, Y.- M. Shui, W.- H. Chen & Z.- Y. Yu LZL605 (holotype KUN1497023!, isotype CDBI!). Diagnosis:��� Polystichum jinpingense is most similar to P. subacutidens Ching ex L.L. Xiang (1994: 261) by having similar plant size and numerous pairs of pinnae, but the former has more or less straight pinnae forming a right angle with rachis (vs. mostly reflexed in the latter), pinna margins undulate (vs. serrate in the latter), pinna apex round (vs. acute in the latter), and sori that are closer to pinna margins (vs. sori that are in the middle between pinna margins and midribs in the latter). Plants perennial, evergreen, (38���) 45���48.5 cm tall. Rhizomes erect, ca. 2 cm long, ca. 1.5 cm in diam., with remnant bases of old petioles; roots dull brown when dried, up to 10 cm long, ca. 0.5 mm in diam. Leaves in tufts; petioles 9.5��� 16.5 cm long, ca. 1.5 mm in diam., stramineous basal portions covered with scales; proximal petiole scales ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1���2 �� 0.5���1 mm, papery, dull brown or brown, margins subentire, apex acuminate, cells rectangular in the middle, twisted in the margins; distal petiole scales ovate-lanceolate, 0.8���1.2 �� 0.4���0.8 mm, membranous, margins subentire, apex long-acuminate or caudate. Laminae lanceolate, 1-pinnate, (25.5���) 28���32 cm long, 1.8���2.8 cm wide, apex acuminate; rachises ca. 0.9 mm in diam., stramineous, adaxially sulcate; rachis scales ovate or ovatelanceolate, light brown, up to 1 mm long including tip, 0.5 mm wide at base, margins fimbriate, apex long-caudate; or scales bristle-like, ca 1 mm long, margins entire and fimbriate at base. Pinnae in 58���62 pairs, alternate, separate from each other, 2���3 mm distance, oblong, base cuneiform, apex cuspidate, papery, maximal pinnae 0.9���1.3 �� 0.35���0.5 cm, basal pinnae narrowing down and basal 1 pair reflexed, largest pinnae located above middle part of lamina, proximal margins not overlapping rachis, acroscopic and basiscopic margins cartilaginous, undulate or with irregular teeth, forming a (80���)90���100�� angle with rachis, apex acuminate; basal pinnae margins undulate or entire, apex obtuse; pinna petioles 0.5���1 mm long; adaxially glabrous; abaxially with microscales; microscales broad, ovate or ovatelanceolate, or lanceolate, whitish brown, 0.5���1(���1.5) mm long, 0.15���0.45 mm wide at base, margins fimbriate; costa sunken abaxially and protruding adaxially, veins obscure and invisible on adaxial side, bulging and thickened on abaxial side, lateral veins free, forked. All pinnae bear sori on fertile fronds excluding 5���8 pairs at base; sori terminal on lateral veins of fertile pinnae, 0.8���1.2 mm in diam., closer to pinna margins than to midrib (centers of sori 0.5���1 mm from pinna margins, 1.5���2 mm from midrib), 1���3 on acroscopic side and 6���8 on distal basiscopic side, centers 1���1.5 mm apart from one another. Indusia not seen. Geographical distribution:��� Polystichum jinpingense is only found in Jinping County, Yunnan Province, and may represent an endemic species to southern Yunnan. Ecology:��� Polystichum jinpingense was observed to grow on limestone rocks in the planted forest at elevations between 1800 and 2000 m. IUCN Red List category:���Only one population of Polystichum jinpingense was found in Jinping. Based on current information and following the IUCN (The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) guidelines (IUCN, 2017), this new species should be classified as Critically Endangered (CR). Etymology:���The species epithet jinpingense is based on the Chinese pinyin, jinping, the county name in southeastern Yunnan, and the Latin suffix -ense, of origin, referring to the type locality and the current known distribution of the species in Jinping County, Yunnan. Vernacular name:��� İ���Ąĸ (jin ping er jue). Taxonomic notes:��� Polystichum jinpingense was initially identified as P. subacutidens for its striking similarity of numerous pairs of pinnae to those of the latter. Polystichum subacutidens was the only species known in the genus with so many pairs of pinnae (Xiang 1994, Zhang & Barrington 2013). Careful comparison showed that they two are quite different morphologically. In addition, P. jinpingense grows at higher elevations (1800���2000 m), whereas P. subacutidens occurs between 700���1500 m. Interestingly, both P. jinpingense and P. subacutidens were first discovered and have types collected from the same county. Now the known distribution of P. subacutidens has been expanded to southern Guizhou (Changshun, Ziyun), northwestern Guangxi (Leye, Nandan), in addition to southeastern Yunnan (Zhang & Barrington 2013). It is even found in northern Vietnam (Lu et al. 2014). It remains to discover where else P. jinpingense occurs., Published as part of Liang, Zhen-Long, Yu, Zhi-Yong, Chen, Wen-Hong, Tun��kol, Bilge, Zhang, Liang & Zhang, Li- Bing, 2022, Polystichum jinpingense (subg. Haplopolystichum; Dryopteridaceae), a new fern from southeastern Yunnan, China, pp. 69-73 in Phytotaxa 539 (1) on page 70, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.539.1.8, http://zenodo.org/record/6345972, {"references":["Xiang, L. - L. (1994) A taxonomic study on the Polystichum sect. Holopolystichum from Yunnan. Acta Phytotaxonomica Sinica 32: 258 - 267.","IUCN. (2017) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2017 - 1. Available from: www. iucnredlist. org (accessed 10 March 2022)","Zhang, L. - B. & Barrington, D. S. (2013) Polystichum. In: Wu, Z. - Y., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. - Y. (Eds.) Flora of China, vols. 2 - 3. Science Press, Beijing & Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, pp. 629 - 713.","Lu, N. T., Zhang, L. & Zhang, L. - B. (2014) Ten new records of Polystichum (Dryopteridaceae) for Vietnam and lectotypification of Polystichum atroviridissimum and P. fimbriatum. Phytotaxa 164: 115 - 123. https: // doi. org / 10.11646 / phytotaxa. 164.2.5"]}

A new fern species, Polystichum jinpingense, a member of P. subg. Haplopolystichum sect. Haplopolystichum, is described and illustrated from southeastern Yunnan, China. Polystichum jinpingense is most similar to P. subacutidens in plant size and having numerous pinnae, but the former has thinner (0.7–0.9 mm in diam.) rachis, oblong pinnae, pinna margins undulate, and pinna apex cuspidate, whereas the latter has thicker (1.1–1.4 mm in diam.) rachis, triangular pinnae, pinna margins serrate, and pinna apex acuminate. Polystichum jinpingense has an extremely narrow distribution and is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) following IUCN Red List Criteria.

Ophiopogon elatior Q.W.Lin, Zhi Y.Yu, Bing Liu & C.T.Le, sp. nov., Figs. 1 & 2. Type:��� CHINA. Yunnan: Jinping County, Fenshuiling National Nature Reserve, Adebo Township, 103��15��� E, 22��50��� N, alt. 1400 m, 27 June 2009, Yunnan Expedition Team YN-ET 260 (holotype, PE; isotype, PE). Chinese vernacular name: �� "�������� (gao ting yan jie cao). Diagnosis: ���This species is most closely related to O. grandis, but differs from it and any other known species of Ophiopogon in the erect and very tall scape highly overtopping the basal grass-like foliage, and relatively large flowers with purple-dotted patulous perianth lobes more than 1 cm long. Description: ���Herb terrestrial, perennial, glabrous. Rhizome simple, horizontal, stout, elongate, 5���10 cm long, ca. 10 mm in diameter. Roots wiry, ca. 1 mm in diameter. Leaves many, tufted, terminal to subterminal, grass-like, linear, arching, 60���80 cm �� 5���6 mm, apex acuminate, base no tapering, with scarious brown wings, margin minutely serrulate, adaxially green, abaxially pale green, with 10���20 narrow parallel white stripes, main longitudinal veins only 1 distinct at middle part of leaves. Scape erect, slender, ridged, 80���100 cm long, highly overtopping the grass-like foliage, dark purple or green, 2���3 mm in diameter. Peduncle (the lower part of scape without flowers) 50���80 cm long; bracts (without flowers) 3, green, lanceolate, the lowest one ca. 3 cm long, the upper ones smaller. Inflorescence a lax raceme with distant fascicles of 1���3 flowers; rachis 15���30 cm long. Floral bracts smaller than the ones on peduncle, lanceolate, apex acuminate, basal part with narrow scarious wings; inner bracts small, scarious. Pedicels (including basal stalky part of perianth) 9���11 mm long (true pedicels excluding perianth part, 5���6 mm long), ca. 0.5 mm in diameter, arching downwards, terete, minutely ridged, purple, articulate in or around middle part. Flowers drooping, relatively large, perianth ca. 2 cm across in fully opening; flower buds narrowly conical. Perianth lobes 6, patulous in fully opening, white, adaxially distinctly purple-dotted, lanceolate to elliptic, 9���11 mm �� 2���4 mm, apex acuminate, inner ones slightly narrower than outer ones. Stamens 6, separate; filaments free, distinct, white, ca. 1.5 mm long; anthers green, introrse, narrowly hastate-anceolate, 6���7 mm long, broaden at base, acuminate at apex. Pistil 1; ovary inferior, 3-locular, generally flat but somewhat protuberant at terminal part; ovules 1���2 per locule; style 1, white, slender, distinctly curved about 2 times, ca. 11 mm long. Immature seeds oblong-obovoid, green. Flower June���July. Etymology:��� This new species is notably characterized by the erect and very tall scape, which could make the whole plant reaching a height of 1 m or higher. Hence, the epithet elatior, meaning the taller scape in Ophiopogon, was given to the species. Distribution and habitat: ��� Ophiopogon elatior is only known from the type location, Yunnan, China. It grows under forest at 1400 m elevation. Comparison: ��� Ophiopogon elatior can be easily distinguished from all known species of Ophiopogon with its erect and very tall scape highly overtopping the basal grass-like foliage. It seems that this species is most closely related to O. grandis, a distinct species accepted by Chen & Tamura (2000) or a synonym of O. intermedius by Tanaka (2000c). The two taxa share some similar floral and vegetative characters, such as stout elongate rhizome-like stems, tufted grass-like leaves, relatively large flowers and lanceolate anthers, etc. However, they are quite distinct with each other in many aspects, such as leaf size (60���80 cm �� 5���6 mm vs 25���55 cm �� 7���11 mm), scape size (80���100 cm vs 15���20 cm), and flower color (purple-dotted vs white). The flowers of O. megalanthus Wang & Dai (1978: 253) are also somewhat similar to that of O. elatior by the relatively large perianth lobes (9-10 mm long in the later) tinged with purplish, but it is quite different by other characters: tuberous rhizome, purple basal part, shorter and broader leaves (25���60 �� 0.8���1.5 cm and broadest at middle part), and shorter scape (30���35 cm long)., Published as part of Lin, Qin-Wen, Le, Chi-Toan, Yu, Zhi-Yong, Sun, Guo-Feng & Liu, Bing, 2021, Ophiopogon elatior, a new species of Asparagaceae from Yunnan, China, pp. 46-50 in Phytotaxa 525 (1) on page 47, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.525.1.5, http://zenodo.org/record/5681826, {"references":["Chen, X. Q. & Tamura, M. N. (2000) Ophiopogon. In: Wu, Z. Y., Raven, P. H. & Hong, D. Y. (eds.) Flora of China. Vol. 24. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis, pp. 252 - 261.","Tanaka, N. (2000 c) Taxonomic notes on Ophiopogon of South Asia VII. The Journal of Japanese Botany 75: 191 - 212.","Wang, F. T. & Dai, L. K. (1978) Ophiopogon zingiberaceus, p. 252. In: Wang, F. T. & Tang, Ts. (eds.) Flora Reipublicae Popularis Sinicae 15. Science Press, Beijing."]}