Two species of forest Garlic found in Vietnam only

Researchers from the Institute of Tropical Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and Ludwig-Maximilians General University, Germany have discovered two new species of forest garlic in Quang Ngai.

These two species were published in the journal Phytotaxa No. 265, volume 1, 2016. These two new species are named as T a forest averyanov Aspidistra averyanovii NS Ly & Tillich and small flower forest garlic, Aspidistra parviflora NS Ly & Tillich.

Plants and flowers Forest garlic averyanov Aspidistra averyanovii NS Ly & Tillich.(Photo: website of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology).

Plants and flowers of small flower forest Garlic, Aspidistra parviflora NS Ly & Tillich.(Photo: website of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology).

Species averyanov Garlic is found at an altitude of 130-270m above sea level. This is a multi-aged rhizome grass, about 80cm tall, rhizome crawling across the ground, not branching. The egg-shaped leaves are large to elliptical eggs, bearing 5–6 pairs of subversion tendons; petioles are 28–69cm long. Flowers grow from root stems, flowers are horizontal or slanted, with a foul smell.

Species of small-flower forest Garlic usually grow at 380-460m above sea level, below the secondary canopy of dominant broadleaf trees of Dau family, at Dau mountain, Quang Ngai province. This is a multi-year species of 50cm high, rhizomes branching vertically or on the ground, bearing many hard roots. Leaves are elliptical inverted eggs; leaf stalk hard, 6–15cm long. Many flowers grow from the root, horizontal or upward direction.

The discovery of these two new species has increased the total number of species of forest Garlic in our country to 52.