Xia Nianhe bamboo (Yersinochloa nianheana), a rare bamboo species from Voi Mountain, southern Vietnam

NEWS - Xia Nianhe bamboo (Yersinochloa nianheana) from southern Vietnam, grows at an elevation of 1400-1500 meters on Voi Mountain, Duc Trong District, Lam Dong Province, Vietnam. Researchers added a new species to Yersinochloa H.N.Nguyen & V.T.Tran 2016, a very rare genus.

Yersinochloa consists of Y. dalatensis H.N.Nguyen & V.T.Tran and Y. nghiana V.T.Tran & T.V.Tran which are narrowly distributed in degraded natural forests in the highlands of southern Vietnam. This genus is distinguished from other related genera of Bambusinae by pseudo-spikelets with only one perfect floret, unnotched palea and anther tips with small spines.

Researchers conducted a bamboo survey on Voi Mountain in December 2023 and found several populations of climbing bamboos growing sparsely in a valley. This population has only one perfect floret without terminal remnant flower, palea is not notched and the anther tip has small spines.

The shape, branch structure and inflorescence of the collected specimens are similar to Yersinochloa. However, the combination of leaf-stem structure and inflorescence, along with other features are not found in other bamboo species.

Y. nianheana differs from Y. dalatensis by having thick and swollen kneecaps at the culm nodes (vs. without thick and swollen kneecaps), erect culm leaf blades (vs. folded) and prominent auricles (vs. absent).

Y. nianheana differs from Y. nghiana in having flat culm leaf blades at the base (vs. swollen at the base), palea with white cilia at the top (vs. glabrous), purple lodicules at the top half, not bifurcated at the base (vs. purple, bifurcated at the base) and 2-keeled buds (vs. 1-keeled buds).

The bamboo grows in degraded natural forest and was found flowering in December 2023. The new species is named in honor of Prof. Xia Nianhe for his contributions to bamboo research. The specimen is only known from a single population and no more than 500 mature clumps.

Original research

Van Duy N, Vinh TT, Cong VK, Hoi QV, Tham DT, Hang NTT, Khiem DV, Truong HT, Nghia NH, Minh NTA, Tien TV (2024). Yersinochloa nianheana (Poaceae, Bambusoideae), a new species from southern Vietnam. PhytoKeys 247: 67-73, DOI:10.3897/phytokeys.247.132975

Dlium theDlium

Screw tree (Helicteres isora)

Screw tree ( Helicteres isora ) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is a shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters tall. It has gray bark and alternate leaves, up to 22 cm long and 17 cm wide, oval in shape, with serrated edges and hairs. The flowers are red or white and reach a total length of 5.5 cm. The fruit is green when unripe, brown or gray when dry, twisted, spiral-shaped, and pointed at the tip. The seeds are black or brown, shiny, and diagonal, triangular, or rectangular. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Subfamily: Helicteroideae Tribe: Helictereae Genus: Helicteres Pluk. ex L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) Species: Helicteres isora L. in Sp. Pl.: 963 (1753) HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS Helicteres baruensis var. ovata DC. in Prodr. 1: 476 (1824) Helicteres chrysocalyx Miq. ex Mast. in J.D.Hooker, Fl. Brit. India 1: 365 (1874) Helicteres corylifolia Buch.-Ham. ex Dillwyn in Rev. Hortus Malab....

Sausage tree (Kigelia africana)

Sausage Tree ( Kigelia africana ) is a species of tree in the Bignoniaceae family, growing up to 24 meters tall with low, spreading branches. The bark is dark gray to light brown, up to 6 mm thick, scaly, creamy white underside, and the branches are marked with lenticels. The wood is light brown or yellowish. This tree grows at elevations of 0-3000 meters. The leaves are arranged alternately along the stem and are divided into several pairs of minor leaflets and a single minor leaflet at the tip. Each leaflet is up to 50 cm long and has 3-6 pairs of opposite minor leaflets. The minor leaflets are oval to narrow and pointed, 7-20 cm long and 4-12 cm wide. The margins are smooth, sometimes slightly serrated. The upper side is glossy green, the underside pale green, smooth or finely hairy. The central vein is sunken on the upper side, with 7-12 pairs of prominent lateral veins visible below. The inflorescences hang from flexible branches up to 7.5 meters long. The flowers are bell-shap...

Breng (Coldenia breng)

Breng ( Coldenia breng ) is a species of plant in the Boraginaceae family. It is a herbaceous plant that grows along the ground, with radial, cylindrical stems, red, multi-branched, alternate, and white-haired. C. breng has alternate leaves along the stem, oval to nearly round, up to 2.5 cm long, up to 1.5 cm wide, and white-haired. This plant grows in floodplains, seasonally inundated riverbanks, and drying rice fields. It thrives in sandy or silty soils and is drought-tolerant. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Boraginales Family: Boraginaceae Subfamily: Cordioideae Genus: Coldenia L. in Sp. Pl.: 125 (1753) Species: Coldenia breng Aryo Bandoro Dlium TheDlium YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium

Dlium