Maianthemum purpureum (Wall.) La Frankie

Plants 25--60 cm tall. Rhizome usually moniliform, 1--1.5 cm thick. Stem pubescent distally. Leaves 5--9, subsessile or shortly petiolate; leaf blade oblong or ovate-oblong, 7--13 × 3--6.5 cm, pubescent along abaxial veins. Inflorescence usually a raceme, occasionally with 1 or 2 branches, 1.5--7 cm; rachis pubescent. Flowers solitary; pedicel 2--4 mm, pubescent. Perianth white or sometimes tinged purplish; segments free, ovate-elliptic or ovate, 4--5 × 2--3 mm. Filaments ca. 1.5 mm, dilated to base; anthers small. Style nearly as long as ovary; stigma 3-lobed. Berries red at maturity, 6--7 mm in diam., 1--4-seeded. Fl. Jun--Jul, fr. Sep. 2 n = 36, 38*.

E and S Xizang, NW Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Nepal, Sikkim].

Forests, thickets; 3200--4000 m.

Smilacina purpurea Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 2: 38. 1831; Jocaste purpurea (Wallich) Kunth; S. oligophylla (Baker) J. D. Hooker; S. pallida Royle; S. purpurea f. albiflora (Wallich) H. Hara; S. purpurea var. albiflora Wallich; S. purpurea f. oligophylla (Baker) H. Hara; S. zhongdianensis H. Li & Y. Chen; Tovaria oligophylla Baker; T. pallida (Royle) Baker; T. purpurea (Wallich) Baker.

Flowering from June to July; fruiting in September.

Maianthemum purpureum is close relative of Maianthemum japonicum, but differs from the latter in its panicle with only 1 or 2 branches at base (vs. with 3 or more branches), stigma 3-lobed (vs. subentire).

Maianthemum purpureum is occurring in E and S Xizang, NW Yunnan of China, Bhutan, NE India, Nepal, Sikkim.

Phylogeny of Maianthemum (Ruscaceae) was inferred from eight chloroplast and nuclear markers (trnL-F, rps16, rpl16, psbA-trnH, rbcL, ndhF, trnK, and ITS) (Meng et al., 2008). Phylogenetic analyses supported the monophyly of Maianthemum with Maianthemum sensu stricto nested within Smilacina. Almost all species from the eastern Himalayan region in SW China except for Maianthemum tatsienense and M. stenolobum form a well supported clade. This clade is characterized morphologically by short filaments and large anthers, relatively large flowers, and pubescent stems and leaves. The intercontinental disjunction between eastern Asia and North America in Maianthemum sensu stricto is estimated to be at 1.68 million years ago (mya) with the Bayesian relaxed clock relying on uncorrelated rates. A recent radiation at about 2.04 mya is suggested in the high mountains of SW China, corresponding to the geographical heterogeneity in that region after the uplift of the Himalayas. Long distance dispersal by birds may have facilitated the evolution of their intercontinental disjunction and their biogeographic diversifications in SW China.

Plants 25-60 cm tall. Rhizome usually moniliform, 1-1.5 cm thick. Stem pubescent distally. Leaves 5-9, subsessile or shortly petiolate; leaf blade oblong or ovate-oblong, 7-13 cm long, 3-6.5 cm wide, pubescent along abaxial veins. Inflorescence usually a raceme, occasionally with 1 or 2 branches, 1.5-7 cm tall; rachis pubescent. Flowers solitary; pedicel 2-4 mm long, pubescent. Perianth white or sometimes tinged purplish; segments free, ovate-elliptic or ovate, 4-5 mm long, 2-3 mm wide. Filaments ca. 1.5 mm, dilated to base; anthers small. Style nearly as long as ovary; stigma 3-lobed. Berries red at maturity, 6-7 mm in diameter, 1-4-seeded.

The chromosomal number of Maianthemum purpureum is 2n = 36 (Meng et al., 2005).

Growing in forests, thickets; 3200-4000 m.

Maianthemum purpureum là một loài thực vật có hoa trong họ Măng tây. Loài này được (Wall.) LaFrankie mô tả khoa học đầu tiên năm 1986.