南投万寿竹 nan tou wan shou zhu

Disporum sessile D. Don ex Schultes var. shimadae (Hayata) H. Hara f. intermedium H. Hara; D. taipingense M. N. Tamura & Kawano.

Herbs stoloniferous. Stem simple or 1--5-branched distally, 15--60 cm. Petiole 0.3--2.5 mm; leaf blade lanceolate to ovate, 5.5--8.5 × 0.9--3.0 cm, 3 longitudinal veins prominent, base rounded, apex attenuate-acuminate. Inflorescences terminal, 1--3-flowered; pedicels 0.9--2.1 cm. Flowers tubular-campanulate. Tepals white to cream, spotted with violet distally, yellowish green apically, spatulate, 1.5--2.2 cm × 2.5--8 mm, densely papillose proximally adaxially, base gibbous-spurred, apex acute; spurs 1.2--1.5 mm. Stamens 1.0--1.7 cm, included; filaments minutely papillose proximally; anthers innate, 2.0--3.5 mm. Ovary 2.0--3.5 mm. Style 1.0--1.6 cm. Berries globose, 7.8--9.2 mm in diam. Seeds brown, ca. 3 mm. Fl. Apr--May. 2 n = 16*.

* Coniferous or mixed forests; 1200--2700 m. C Taiwan.

This taxon is quite similar, both morphologically and karyologically, to Disporum sessile D. Don ex Schultes, which is distributed in Japan, Korea (Cheju and Ullung Islands), and Russia (S Kurile Islands and S Sakhalin); see Tamura et al. (Pl. Spec. Biol. 7: 103--120. 1992). A molecular phylogeny by Shinwari et al. (Pl. Spec. Biol. 9: 11--18. 1994) suggests a relationship of the two taxa. Further studies are needed in order to clarify whether D. nantouense is conspecific with D. sessile or not. Disporum sessile as circumscribed in FRPS, corresponds mainly to D. uniflorum in the present account, but also to D. hainanense and D. shimadae.