三萼茶 Camellia yangii D.Wei ZhaoCamellia yangii

Camellia yangii D.Wei Zhao in PhytoKeys 257: 247–256 (2025). urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77363261-1 Holotype: China • Yunnan: Malipo, in evergreen montane forest, 858 m, 25 December 2023, Yang S.X. & Yin L. 7357 (holotype: KUN 1628256!; isotypes: CSFI!, KUN 1628257!, KUN 1628258!)

Diagnosis. Similar to C. fangchengensis and C. ptilophylla by the densely pubescent new branchlets, abaxial surface of leaves and pedicel, but differs from them in bearing a larger flower (4–5.5 cm in diam. vs. 2–3.5 cm in diam.), less (3 vs. 5) but larger (8–9 × 10–13 mm vs. 2.5–7 × 3.5–7 mm) sepals, and sericeous (vs. glabrous) adaxial surface of the sepals. 

Description. Evergreen shrubs or trees, 5–8 m tall. Bark grayish yellow. New branchlets densely pubescent, terminal buds red or purplish red, densely pubescent. Petioles 3–5 mm long, densely pubescent; leaf blades elliptic, oblong, or obovate, 9–21 × 3.5–8.5 cm, coriaceous, abaxially yellowish green, densely pubescent, adaxially dark green, glabrous or puberulous along midrib at base, midrib and secondary veins abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 10–13 pairs, base cuneate, margin serrulate, apex acuminate. Flowers axillary, solitary or paired, 4–5.5 cm in diam. Pedicel 5–15 mm long, densely pubescent. Bracteoles 2, caducous, ovate, 2–3 × 2–2.5 mm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially glabrous. Sepals 3, persistent, suborbicular, 8–9 × 10– 13 mm, abaxially pubescent, adaxially sericeous, margin ciliolate. Petals 7–8 in 1–2 whorls, white, or the outmost petal green at apex, elliptic to obovate, 15–35 × 15–25 mm, outer petals pubescent or puberulous on both surfaces, inner petals puberulous at base or glabrous on both surfaces, apex obtuse to rounded, inner 4–5 petals basally adnate to filament whorl for 2–4 mm. Stamens numerous, 20–25 mm long; filaments white or slightly pink, glabrous, outer filaments basally connate for 3–5 mm. Ovary globose to ovoid, densely pubescent. Styles 1, 18–22 mm long, gradually becoming glabrous upwards, apically 3-lobed for 5–8 mm. Capsule tri-coccal, ca. 3.5 cm in diam., ca. 2 cm in height, 3-loculed with 1 seed per locule; pericarp 1–2 mm thick. Seeds fuscous, globose, ca. 1.5 cm in diam., glabrous,

Phenology. Flowering December, fruiting August–September (Table 2).

Paratypes. China. • Yunnan: Malipo County, in evergreen montane forest, 858 m, August 2023, Yang S.X. & Xiao B. 7122 (KUN); same place, 21 November 2023, Yang S.X. et al. 7312–7315 (KUN, equal to Zhao D.W. et al. 536[1]–[4] at CSFI, respectively), Zhao D.W. et al. 536(5) (CSFI); same place, 25 December 2023, Yang S.X. & Yin L. 7358 (KUN), 7359 (KUN).

Distribution and habitat. Camellia yangii is endemic to the tropical evergreen montane forest in Malipo County.

Etymology. Camellia yangii is named after the leading collector of its type, Dr. Shixiong Yang, an expert of the family Theaceae at Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The Chinese name of C. yangii is proposed as ”三萼茶” because it bears three sepals in the flower.

三萼茶 Camellia yangii D.Wei Zhao in PhytoKeys 257: 247–256 （2025）

常绿灌木或乔木，高 5-8 m。树皮灰黄色。新的小枝密被短柔毛，顶芽红色或紫红色，密被短柔毛。叶柄长 3-5 毫米，密集的短柔毛;叶片椭圆形、长圆形或倒卵形，9-21×3.5-8.5厘米，革质，背面黄绿色，密集被短柔毛，正面深绿色，基部沿中脉无毛或被短柔毛，中脉和次生脉背面隆起，正面凹陷，次生脉10-13对，基部楔形，边缘锯齿状，先端渐尖。花腋生，单生或成对，直径4-5.5厘米。花梗长 5-15 毫米，密被短柔毛。苞片 2 个，圆顶，卵形，2-3 × 2-2.5 毫米，顶端被短柔毛，近端无毛。萼片 3，宿存，近圆形，8-9 × 10-13 毫米，背面短柔毛，正面被毛状，边缘纤毛状。花瓣7-8个，1-2个轮生，白色或最外侧的花瓣绿色，椭圆形至倒卵形，15-35×15-25毫米，外花瓣两面短柔毛或短柔毛，内花瓣基部短柔毛或两面无毛，先端钝至圆形，内4-5片花瓣基部与花丝轮生相连，长2-4毫米。雄蕊众多，长 20-25 毫米;花丝白色或略带粉红色，无毛，外花丝基部合生 3-5 毫米。子房球形至卵形，密被短柔毛。花序1，长18-22毫米，逐渐向上无毛，顶端有3裂，长5-8毫米。蒴果三球型，直径约 3.5 厘米，高约 2 厘米，3 室，每室1 粒种子;果皮厚 1-2 毫米。种子褐色，球形，直径约 1.5 厘米，无毛。花期 12 月，果期 8 月至 9 月。

分布和栖息地：麻栗坡县热带常绿山地森林的特有物种。

三萼茶（Camellia yangii）的学名种加词以杨世雄博士的姓命名，他是中国科学院昆明植物研究所山茶科的系统分类专家。C. yangii 的中文名称建议为“三萼茶”，因其花有3萼片。