Camellia Dilinhensis:  a new Yellow Species from Viet Nam

Tran Ninh¹  Luong Van Dung²
1. Hanoi University of Science, Ha Noi, Viet Nam.
2. University Da Lat, Viet Nam

Camellia dilinhensis Tran & Luong, sp. nov. (Fig. 1)

Small tree, 3-4 m high; young branches glabrous. Leaves stalked, petioles 1.4 -1.9 cm; blades oblong-elliptic or elliptic, 16.0-24.5 cm. long, 5.5-9.5 cm. wide, deep green above, light green below; midribs sunken above and protruding below, glabrous on both sides: base cuneate, apex acuminate, leaf margin shallowly serrulate; lateral veins 8-14 pairs. Flowers light yellow, 3.5-3.7 cm. in diameter, 1-3 in each group in axillary; pedicels 5-7 mm long, bearing two or three tiny bracteoles, glabrous. Sepals 5, scale shape to nearly rounded, 4-8 mm. high, 8-11mm. wide, glabrous. Petals 8 -9, near rounded or elliptic, 1.2 -1.4 cm. wide, 1.5-1.7 cm. high, glabrous. Androecium over 350 stamens, 5-9 mm. long, glabrous, outer filaments united from the base and forms a short cup, united with petals 2-2.5 mm. at the base. Gynoecium 3, ovaries cylinder, pubescent, 3-4 mm wide, 7-8 mm high, 3 loculi; styles 3, free to the base, 5 mm. long, pubescent. Fruits obovoid, immature fruits scarred white hairy; mature fruits glabrous, 3.5-4 cm. wide, 5.5-6.5 cm. high, 3 loculi, 5-6 seeds each loculus. Seeds cuneate, 7-10 mm. high, 8-11 mm. wide, pubescent.

Blooming season: winter

This species was collected in evergreen forest of Dilinh district (Lamdong province), altitudes 850-900 m.

Typus: Vietnam, Lam Dong, Dilinh, evergreen forest, at altitudes of 850 -900 m, 22/10/2012, Dung, Ninh 121001 (Holotypus, Isotypus HNU).

Fig.1 Camellia dilinhensis Tran & Luong

A,B. leaf; C. bud of flower; D. flower; E. sepals; F,G. petals; H. stamens; I. sepals and gynoecium; K. fruit; L. seeds.

Taxonomic remarks: Camellia dilinhensis posses some morphological characteristics common to the species belonging to Section Chrysantha Chang as flowers axillary, medium large, yellow, pedicellate but there are some differences: pedicels bearing two or three tiny bracteoles (Sect. Chrysantha have 5-7 bract.); ovary cylinder (Sect. Chrysantha ovary globose); Fruits obovoid ( sect. Chrysantha fruits globose). On based of these differences we affirm that this species belongs to new section and will be named Obvoidea Tran et Luong, sect. nov.

Acknowledgments

The junior author addresses his acknowledgments to the Institute of Science and Technology of Lamdong sponsored for the research on diversity of Camellia genus in Lamdong Province.

Literature cited

[1] Gao, J. Y. et al. ed. 2005. Collected Species of the Genus Camellia an Illustrated Outline. Chekiang Sci. Tech. Press, Hangzhou.
[2] Chang, H. T. 1981. A Taxonomy of the Genus Camellia. Act. Sci. Nat. Univ. Sunyatseni.
[3] Ming, T. L. ed. 2000. Monograph of the Genus Camellia. Yunnan Sci. Tech. Press, Kunming.
[4] Ninh, T. and N. Hakoda. 1998. Three New Species of the Genus Camellia  from Viet Nam. Intern.Camelia .Journ. 30:76-78.
[5] Ninh, T and Hakoda, T. 2010. Camellias of Tamdao National Park, Viet Nam. GTZ
[6] Ninh, T, Dung, L.V. 2012. Camellia dalatensis a new species and precious gene sould be conserved. VNU Journ. Sci. Natur. Sci. and Tech. 28. No.2S (2012): 34-36.
[7] Rosmann, J.C. 2000. A new  Camellia species in Vietnam. Intern. Camellia Journ. 32: 66 – 68.
[8] Orel G, Wilson , P.G. 2010. Camellia  luteocerata sp. nov and a new section of Cameia (Dalatia) from Vietnam. Intern. Camellia Journ. 42: 131 – 136 pp.
[9] Sealy, J.R., 1958. A revision of the genus Camellia. The Royal Horticulture society. London.