Hong Truong Luu’s research while affiliated with Southern Institute of Ecology and other places

39 Novelties in Aspidistra (Asparagaceae, Convallarioideae) with erect stems in the flora of Vietnam: A. quanii, a new species, and A. erecta, a new national record Abstract The paper reports two species of Aspidistra newly discovered in the flora of Vietnam. It includes a description of A. quanii, a species new to science found in the central part of the country and information on four locations of A. erecta in northern Vietnam, a species known earlier only in southern China. The studied species are remarkable for having elongate, more or less erect stems. For both species, detailed analytical colour illustrations, data on morphology, ecology, phenology, tentative relationships, distribution, and provisional conservation status are provided. Additionally, we provide new data on shoot system of A. globosa, a species morphologically close to A. quanii.

A new species, Arisaema ytyense is described here for the first time, belonging to section Sinarisaema . Including the species described here three species from sect. Sinarisaema are present in Vietnam. The morphological features of this species are discussed and compared with those belonging to the same section within Vietnam. The authors introduce a species key to Vietnamese Arisaema sect. Sinarisaema and the ecology, habitat and conservation status of this new species is discussed.

Situated in the southern end of the Annamite Mountain Range, Langbiang Plateau is a major biodiversity hotspot of southern Vietnam known for high species diversity and endemicity. To achieve effective conservation, parts of the plateau were designated as the Langbiang Biosphere Reserve, an UNESCO World Network aiming to improve relationships between inhabitants and their environments. Amongst the rich endemic flora of the plateau are three gesneriads ascribed to Primulina, a calciphilous genus with high species diversity in the vast limestone karsts stretching from southern China to northern Vietnam. However, a recent phylogenetic study questioned the generic placement of the Langbiang Primulina, corroborating with observations on the geographical distribution, habitat preference, and phyllotaxy of the three species. Based on phylogenetic analyses of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F DNA sequences of a comprehensive sampling covering nearly all genera of the Old World Gesneriaceae, we demonstrate that the three Langbiang Primulina species form a fully supported clade distantly related to other Primulina. As this clade is biogeographically, ecologically, morphologically, and phylogenetically distinct worthy of generic recognition, we propose to name it Langbiangia gen. nov. to highlight the rich and unique biodiversity of the Langbiang Plateau. By means of this taxonomic endeavor, we are hoping to raise the conservation awareness of this biodiversity heritage of southern Vietnam and promote the importance of Langbiang Biosphere Reserve that is crucial for achieving action-oriented global targets of the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF) of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)—effective conservation and management of at least 30% of biodiverse terrestrial, inland water, and costal and marine areas by 2030—that has been agreed at the COP15 in Montréal in December 2022.

A new genus, Nephoanthus, is established based on morphological and molecular data. It comprises two species distributed in montane forests of central to southern Vietnam and Hainan Island: the type species N. prostratus and a new species N. nubigenus. Nephoanthus is morphologically similar to Phyllagathis but phylogenetically remote from the type species of Phyllagathis in the analyses of both plastid genome and nrITS sequences. Nephoanthus is genetically associated to but significantly morphologically distinct from Driessenia, Heteroblemma, Medinilla and Tigridiopalma. A detailed morphological comparison of Nephoanthus and related taxa is provided.