黃斑龍膽

Gentiana flavescens non Schur. (1866): Hayata, J. Coll. Sci. Imp. Univ. Tokyo 25(19): 166. 1908 (Fl. Mont. Form.)—TYPE: Formosa, Suizan, in montibus Morrison, ad 7702 ped. alt. S. Nagasawa 646, et Ganzan, in isdem montibus, ad 9141 ped. Alt., S. Nagasawa, Oct. 1905 (Holotype: TI!). Gentiana scabrida var. flavo-maculata (Hayata) Ying, Quart. J. Exp. Forest N. T. U. 3(2): 94. 1989.

Annual herbs. Stems usually branched, brown, brownish purple or purple, densely scabrous, 6-10 cm tall. Leaves aristate-acuminate at apices, slightly scabrous along margins; radical leaves lanceolate or ovate, 2-2.5 cm long, 7-8 mm wide; cauline-leaves shape almost same to radical-leaves but smaller in size, 6-10 mm long, 3-4 mm wide; sheaths short, usually less than 1 mm long. Flowers pedicellate, solitary on terminal branches; pedicels 2-4 mm long, extending to 10 mm long in fruit; calyx-tube campanulate, 4-5 mm long, with 5 slightly scabrous costae, 5-lobed, the lobes linear-triangular, 2-3 mm long, with obscurely erose costae, almost entire along margins; corolla tubular-campanulate, white with yellow or greenish yellow spots in the middle part, 12-18 mm long, with 5 lobes, the lobes acutely ovate, 3 mm long, aristate-acuminate at apices; appendages acute or cuspidate near apices, almost entire near both extremes. Stamens 5, the anthers oblong, yellow to light pink, 1.5-2 mm long, the filaments 6-8 mm long, attached slightly on the lower part of corolla-tube. Ovary stipitate, lanceolate to narrow ovate, 6-7 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, stipe 2-3 mm long, style 2-3 mm long, the stigma bifurcate and spirally recursive at bloom. Capsules obovoid, about 6 mm long, 3 mm wide, with long stipes about 15 mm long, 2-valved, dehiscent, the valves obscurely dentate near apices, exserted beyond the persistent corolla. Seeds ovoid, with minutely longitudinal reticulate-striae, about 0.7 mm long, 0.4-0.5 mm wide.

TAICHUNG HSIEN: Central Cross Island Road Branch, elev. ca. 2100-2340m, Shen 475 (HAST). NANTOU HSIEN: Patungkuan, elev. ca. 2800m, Yang s. n. Jul. 12, 1993 (TAI); Yushan en route from Panaiyike lodge to Patungkua elev. ca. 2900-2770m, Lee 26 (HAST); Kunyang, elev. ca. 2100-2600m, C. H. Chen 1059 (TNU); Tungpu, Chang 16378 (PPI); Shanlinhsi, elev. ca. 1700m, Hsiao 1130 (HAST); Jenai, Lu 1472 (TNU); Meifeng, elev. ca. 2100-2300m, C. H. Chen 497 (HAST); Kuankao to Patungkuan, Suzuki s. n. Jul. 28 1935 (TAI); same loc., elev. ca. 2650-3000m, Peng 8142, 8143 (HAST); Kuankao to Chungyangchinkuang, elev. ca. 2600-2900m, C. H. Chen 95 (HAST). CHIAYI HSIEN: Tungpushanchung to Tatachiaanpu, elev. ca. 2500-2900m, Leu 1203 (HAST); Alishan, Chang 17228 (PPI); same loc., Hayata & Sasaki s. n. Jan., 1912 (TAIF); same loc., elev. ca. 2600m, Ying 1669(NTUF); same loc., elev. ca. 2300m, Peng 4626 (HAST); same loc., Wang 6322 (TNU); Alishan to Tashan, elev. ca. 2600m, Ying 1715 (NTUF); Yushan, Ying s. n. May. 23, 1992 (NTUF). PINGTUNG HSIEN: Hsiaokueihu, Yang 5060 (PPI), same loc., Yang 25454 (PPI); Wutai, Lin 405 (TAIF). HUALIEN HSIEN: Tunyuan to Yunhai, elev. ca. 2000-2400m, Liao 1523 (HAST); Kuanyuan to Pilu, elev. ca. 2250-2350m, Peng 9226 (HAST). TAITUNG HSIEN: Chihpen 22th Forest Station, elev. ca. 1600-2000m, Hsu 3312 (TAI).

Distribtion and habitat. Endemic to Taiwan, frequently found on semishady grasslands or moist slope, on Central Mountain Range from 1,800 to 3,000 m in elevation. Flowering and fruiting Jun-Sep.

Note: Hayata (1908) first described this taxon and named Gentiana. flavescens Hayata, but later (1917) he renamed it because of the later homonym. Ying (1988) treated this species as variety of G. scabrida, but it seems inappropriate. According to authors’ observation, colors of corolla, sizes of plants, and shapes of calyx-lobes are very different between both taxa.