Scientific name: Aspidistra graminifolia Aver. & Tillich
English name:
Vietnamese name: Tỏi đá lá lúa
Other name:

Terrestrial perennial herb with epigeous few branching, plagiotropic rhizome. Rhizome thick, stout, 5 –7(10) cm long, (0.8)1–1.5(2) cm in diam., densely covered by imbricate, light green leaf bases, later disintegrated into dull light brown, papyraceous or fibrous remains. Leafy shoot at apex of rhizome, creeping to ascending, stout, very short, simple, (0.6)1–1.5(2) cm tall, (0.8)1–1.4(1.6) cm in diam., densely nodal, with few thick underground roots Cataphylls conduplicate, narrowly triangular (being flattened), acuminate, light green to whitish, herbaceous, scarious or papyraceous, usually straight, more or less upright, (5)7–12(16) cm long, (4)6 –10(14) mm wide, suddenly broadening and often splitting at the base. Leaves on individual shoot (2)4 – 6(8), sessile, leathery, conduplicate, arching, lineate, tapering and acute at apex, (50)60 – 80(90) cm long, (1)1.2–1.5(1.8) cm wide, straight or slightly irregularly wavy along margin, uniformly grass-green on both sides, with prominent median vein. Flowers many, solitary, arising from basal part of leafy shoot, shortly pedunculate, odorless, (5)6 –7(8) mm in diam., not opening widely. Peduncle arising obliquely, curved down at apex, white to light greenish, sparsely speckled with purple, (0.8)1–1.5(1.8) cm long, (1)1.2–1.8(2) mm in diam., with (3)4 –5(6) sterile imbricate bracts; bracts broadly triangular ovate, concave, thin, uniformly light greenish or with small sparse purple speckles, scarious, papyraceous, blunt to obtuse, (4)5 – 6(7) mm long, (3.5)4 – 6(7) mm wide (being flattened), two distal bracts close to each other and to flower base. Perigone tube cupulate, outside white, fleshy, smooth and glossy, (2)2.2–3(3.5) mm long, (4)4.5 –5(5.5) mm wide, with 6(7) free lobes at apex. Perigone lobes subequal, fleshy, slightly concave, rather smooth, glossy, dull yellow and heavy speckled with purple-brown along margins outside, entirely dark dirty purple-brown inside, narrowly ovate to ovate, straight erect, with scarious and nibbled margin, (3.2)3.5 – 4.5(5) mm long, (1.6)1.8 –2(2.2) mm wide, cucullate at apex, and thus reducing perigone opening to ca. 3.5 mm. Stamens 6, on short, fleshy, white filaments 0.8 –1 mm long, inserted at the base of tube close to ovary; anthers narrowly conoid, (2)2.2–2.4(2.6) mm long, (0.8)1–1.2(1.3) mm wide, densely connivent to each other and to apical part of pistil forming a tube; pollen sacs introrse; pollen light yellow. Pistil white; style fleshy, cylindrical, hardly broadening to the base and apex, (2.8)3 –3.2(3.4) mm tall, (1.2)1.4 –1.6(1.8) mm in diam.; stigma truncate, discoid, (2)2.2–2.4(2.6) mm in diam., circular in outline, irregularly wavy along margin and on surface, fleshy, papillose, white. Ovary inconspicuous, very indistinct, white with olive-green tint. Fruits unknown.

Etymology

Species epithet refers to narrow, lineate shape of leaves

Distribution.

Vietnam (without exact location).

Endemic.

Habitat, phenology and conservation status.

Terrestrial creeping herb.

Flowering in cultivation in August–September.

Rare.

Estimated IUCN Red List status DD