Discovering and describing a new species from Thua Thien Hue Province, Central Vietnam

31/03/2022

In the project program Carbon and Biodiversity Phase II (CarBi II), botanists from the Mien Trung Institute for Scientific Research (MISR-VNMN), Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy, WWF - Vietnam and The Kagoshima University Museum, Japan discovered and described a new plant species, namely Thottea aroangensis TA Le, D. Dien & Tagane, belonging to the family Aristolochiaceae, newly discovered in the Aroang commune, A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue, central Vietnam. The genus has about 45 species recognized, including small shrubs widely distributed in Asia. In Vietnam, 03 species have been recorded, this is the 4th species in the genus Thottea for Vietnam.

Thottea aroangensis T.A. Le, D. Dien & Tagane (Photograpy D. Dinh & T. A. Le)

The new species is a subshrub about 70-90 cm high, , inflorescence at base of stem close to ground level, campanulate perianth ca. 2.6 cm long, inside of perianth tube with creamy white patches, obscure perianth lobes very broadly triangular ca. 0.5 cm long, and 20 stamens in 2 whorls, which the combination of characters clearly distinguished it from all the previously known species of the genus. With low numbers of individuals, the species is recommended Critically Endangered (CR) (IUCN, 2012).

The result was published on Phytotaxa 513 (1): 069–074, 2021. For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.biotaxa.org/Phytotaxa/article/view/phytotaxa.513.1.5

News: Le Tuan Anh, Mientrung Institute for Scientific Research, Vietnam National Museum of Nature, VAST
Link to Vietnamese version