超长柄茶 Camellia longissima Hung T.Chang & S.Ye LiangCamellia longissima

Camellia longissima, Subgenus Thea, Sect. Longissima, Chang Hung-ta and Bruce Bartholomew (1984). Camellias, p.153: Camellia longissima Chang & Liang in Chang, Acta Sci. Nat. Univ. Sunyatseni, monogr. ser. 1: 124. 1981.Gao Jiyin, Clifford R. Parks, Du Yueqiang, 2005, Collected Species of the Genus Camellia an Illustrated Outline，p.165. 

[Description] Shrub, branchlets glabrous, old branches grey. Leaves membranous, elliptic orsometimes obovate, 14-16. 5 cm long, 6-8.5 cm wide, apices abruptly acute with a ca. 1cm long acumen, bases nearly rounded or sometimes cuneate, both surfaces dull brown in the dry state, glabrous; lateral veins14-19 pairs, almost perpendicular to the midvein, slightly raised on both surfaces; reticulating veins not conspicuous; margins serrulate, teeth separation 2-3 mm; petioles 4-7 mm long glabrous. Flowers 1-3, terminal oraxillary, long pedicellate; pedicels ca. 4 cm long, lower region slender, upper regionslightly thicker, glabrous; bracts 2, born on the middle of the pedicel, separated by 6-7mm, early deciduous; sepals 5, broadly ovate or orbicular, 5 mm long, glabrous; petals 8, free, elliptic-obovate, ca. 1 cm long, 7-8 mm wide, glabrous; stamens 7-8 mm long, free, glabrous; ovaries 3-locular, glabrous; styles 2 mm long, apices shallowly 3-cleft. This species can be easily identified by the membranous leaves, numerous lateral veins perpendicular to the mid-vein, flowers long-pedicellate, styles and petals glabrous, stamens free, ovaries 3-locular and glabrous, and styles short.

Zhao (2024): Camellia longissima Hung T. Chang & S. Ye Liang in Hung T. Chang, Taxon. Gen. Camellia 124. 1981—Holotype: China. Guangxi: Longzhou, 440 m, 4 October 1956, Z.J. Li 3273 (IBSC 0003519!; isotype: IBK 00118623!).

New branchlets and leaf buds glabrous. Leaf blade obovate to elliptic, 7–20 × 3–9 cm, both surfaces glabrous, base cuneate. Flower ca. 2.5 cm in diameter. Pedicel 1.7–4 cm long, glabrous. Sepals 2.5–5 × 3–6 mm, outside glabrous, inside sericeous. Petals outside glabrous, inside sericeous, glabrescent, or glabrous. Ovary glabrous. Style apically 3-lobed, glabrous. Fruit not seen. Fl. November to December.

Distribution. China: Guangxi.

Notes. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supported that C. longissima and other tea plants consisted of a monophyletic group, and the species was closely related with C. taliensis (W.W. Sm.) Melch. (Zhao et al. 2023). Camellia longissima bears a long pedicel, which was valued by Chang (1981b) and Ming (2000) as a diagnostic character at the sectional rank. However, the length of the pedicel may vary in tea plants. For instance, C. sinensis usually bears a pedicel less than 1 cm long; occasionally, under cultivation it can produce a more than 2-cm-long pedicel. Though bearing a relatively long pedicel, neither C. sect. Longipedicellata Hung T. Chang nor sect. Longissima was suggested to be monophyletic in the molecular phylogenetic analysis (Zhao et al. 2023).

Camellia longissima was endemic to Longzhou, Guangxi. I have not seen a specimen of its natural plant collected in recent 30 years, nor have I found or heard its occurrence in the wild. Regardless of its potential value in tea breeding, conservation and propagation should be the top priority of C. longissima to avoid extinction.

Camellia longissima has most recently been assessed for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2015. Camellia longissima is listed as Near Threatened.

超长柄茶Cameilia longissima Chang et S.Y. Liang, sp. nov. 张宏达，1981. 《山茶属植物的系统研究》第124页。【标本】广西：龙津，板闭，海拔440米，山谷密林下，灌木，1956年10月4日，李治基3273(模式标本 Typus! in Bot, Inst. Austro-Sin.)；同地，李萌昆313；同地，广西林科所5603273；同地，梁盛业7001213,。【形态特征】灌木，嫩枝无毛，老枝灰色。叶膜质，椭圆形或有时倒卵形，长14一16.5厘米，宽6-8.5厘米，先端急短尖，尖尾长约1厘米，基部近圆形或有时楔形，两面干后暗褐色，无毛，侧脉14-19对，几与中脉垂直，在两面均稍突起，网脉不明显，边缘有细锯齿，齿刻相隔2-3毫米，叶柄长4-7毫米，无毛。花1-3朵顶生或侧生，有长柄，花梗长约4厘米，下部纤细，上部略增厚，无毛；苞片2片，位于花梗中部，相隔6-7毫米，早落；萼片5片，阔卵形至圆形，长5毫米，无毛。花瓣8片，分离，椭圆状倒卵形，长约1厘米，宽7-8毫米，无毛。雄蕊长7-8毫米，离生，无毛。子房3室，无毛，花柱长2-3毫米，先端3浅裂。叶薄膜质，侧脉多而几和中脉相垂直，花有长柄，花萼及花瓣无毛，雄蕊离生，子房3室，无毛，花柱短，易于认识。

高继银、帕克斯、杜跃强，2005. 《山茶属植物主要原种彩色图集》浙江科学技术出版社，第165页。花白色，直径1.5~2.0厘米，多腋生。花柄长4.0~4.5厘米，无毛。苞片2枚，常早落，萼片5枚，外面无毛，里面被毛。花瓣7~8枚，长10毫米，宽7~8毫米，倒卵形至宽卵形，无毛，基部离生。雄蕊无毛，长7~8毫米，外轮花丝略连生。雌蕊长7~12毫米，花柱先端3浅裂，子房无毛。花期冬季至春季。叶椭圆形至阔倒卵形，先端急短尖，基部楔形或近圆形，长9.0~19.0厘米，宽4.0~8.5厘米，边缘具细齿，膜革质，叶面无毛，侧脉多达19对，凸起与中脉几乎垂直，叶背淡绿色，中脉和侧脉凸起。叶柄长2~7毫米，无毛。灌木或小乔木，高可达5米，嫩枝紫褐色，无毛，老枝灰白色。分布：广西壮族自治区南部龙州县一带，海拔400- 500米。可寻地点:广西壮族自治区龙州县板梯镇。

超长柄茶最近一次于 2015年进行了IUCN濒危等级评估，被评为近危 Near Threatened（NT）。