多变西南山茶 duo bian xi nan shan cha

Basionym: Camellia compressa Hung T. Chang & X. K. Wen in Hung T. Chang, Taxon. Gen. Camellia, 76. 1981; C. compressa var. variabilis Hung T. Chang & X. K. Wen; C. longituba Hung T. Chang; C. magniflora Hung T. Chang; C. pitardii var. variabilis (Hung T. Chang & X. K. Wen) T. L. Ming, nom. superfl.

Leaf blade elliptic, 9-14 × 4-6.4 cm, thickly leathery, margin serrate, apex acuminate. Flowers 8-10 cm in diam. Petals red to rose. Capsule oblate, 6-7 × ca. 8 cm. Fl. Jan-Mar, fr. Sep-Oct. 2n = 90*, 120*.

● Forests; 700-1100 m. N Guizhou, W Hubei, NW Hunan.

When Chang and Wen published Camellia compressa var. variabilis (Acta Phytotax. Sin. 20: 227. 1982) they simultaneously created the autonym C. compressa var. compressa (Vienna Code, Art. 26.3). When Ming later made the new combination C. pitardii var. variabilis (Acta Bot. Yunnan. 20: 137. 1998) he included C. compressa in synonymy, and the same taxonomy is used here. Under the rules, the combination C. pitardii var. compressa should be used because the autonym C. compressa var. compressa (which has the same type as C. compressa) has priority over the name that created it: C. compressa var. variabilis (Art. 11.6). Ming’s combination was therefore nomenclaturally superfluous when published (Art. 52.1). Although incorrect, it is not illegitimate because it has a basionym (Art. 52.3), hence "nom. superfl." rather than "nom. illeg. superfl."