NOVON 10(1): 13. 2000.

A New Name in Chinese Dioscorea (Dioscoreaceae)

Ding Zhizun (Ting Chih-tsun)

Herbarium, Jiangsu Botanical Institute, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210014, People’s Republic of China

Michael G. Gilbert

Missouri Botanical Garden, c/o Department of Botany, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, U.K.

Nicholas J. Turland

Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299, St. Louis, Missouri 63166, U.S.A.

Abstract. During preparation of the account of Dioscoreaceae for the Flora of China, it was noticed that one species is illegitimately named, being a later homonym: Dioscorea parviflora C. T. Ting (1979), not Philippi (1864). The following new name (nomen novum) is therefore proposed here: D. sinoparviflora C. T. Ting, M. G. Gilbert & Turland.

Dioscorea sinoparviflora C. T. Ting, M. G. Gilbert & Turland, nom. nov. Replaced name: Dioscorea parviflora C. T. Ting, in C. Pei et al., Acta Phytotax. Sin. 17(3): 69. 1979. Not Philippi, Linnaea 33: 257. 1864. TYPE: China. Yunnan: Yongsheng Xian, Xinghe, 1600 m, Mar. 1963, Q. Y. Liang 63009 (holotype, NAS).

Dioscorea parviflora C. T. Ting (in Pei et al., 1979: 69--70) was described from Yongsheng County (Xian) in northwestern Yunnan Province, China. Unfortunately, the name is illegitimate under Article 53.1 of the Tokyo Code because an earlier homonym exists: D. parviflora Philippi (1864), described from Chile. The Chinese species will be accepted by Ding and Gilbert, as endemic to Yunnan Province, in their forthcoming account of Dioscoreaceae in the Flora of China (in press). Therefore, a new name for D. parviflora is required, and D. sinoparviflora C. T. Ting, M. G. Gilbert & Turland is proposed here. Dioscorea sinoparviflora is most similar to D. zingiberensis C. H. Wright, which is also endemic to China, occurring in Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Shaanxi, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces. Dioscorea sinoparviflora differs from D. zingiberensis in having perianth lobes 0.8--1.2 ´ 0.6--0.8 mm (vs. 1.2--1.5 ´ 0.8--1 mm) and capsules longer than wide (vs. ca. as long as wide). Both species can be readily distinguished from others in China by the peltate attachment of most leaf blades. Moreover, D. zingiberensis is the only Chinese species recorded as being monoecious.

Literature Cited

Pei, C., C. T. Ting, H. C. Chin, P. Su, S. Y. Tang & H. C. Chang. 1979. A preliminary systematic study of Dioscorea L. sect. Stenophora Uline. Acta. Phytotax. Sin. 17(3): 61--72.

Philippi, R. A. 1864. Plantarum novarum Chilensium. Centuriae inclusis quibusdam Mendocinis et Patagonicis. Linnaea 33: 1--308.

Ding, Z. Z. [Ting, C. T.] & M. G. Gilbert. In press. Dioscoreaceae. In: Z. Y. Wu & P. H. Raven (editors), Flora of China, Vol. 24. Science Press, Beijing, and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.