Ophiopogon spathulifolius (Asparagaceae), a new species from northern Vietnam, and O. robustus new to the country

Abstract

Ophiopogon spathulifolius, a new species from Tuyen Quang Province (including former Ha Giang Province), northern Vietnam, is described and illustrated. It is distinguished from all other species of the genus by a combination of character states: estoloniferous habit with a short rhizome, petioles with scarious whitish wings dilated toward the base, spathulate and abaxially whitish leaf blades (up to 24 cm long, up to 2.4 cm wide), and subsessile narrowly deltoid anthers (2.6–2.9 mm long). Data on its ecology and distribution are also provided. Furthermore, the occurrence of O. robustus is reported from Son La Province, northwestern Vietnam. As this species was previously known only from Laos, this finding represents a new record for the flora of the country.