阙丰金花茶 Camellia quephongensis Hakoda ex LeCamellia quephongensis

Camellia quephongensis Hakoda ex Le. First published in Int. Camellia J. 53: 102 (2021 publ. 2022). Type: VIETNAM, Nghe An province, Que Phong district, 15 January 1999, TN 1785 (holotype: Vietnam National University Herbarium, Hanoi).

The specimen was first discovered by Tran Ninh and  Shuho Kirino in 1999 in Que Phong District, Nghe An province, Vietnam.Mr. Kirino Shuho, first mentioned this material, in the Bulletin of the Japan Camellia Society Tsubaki (椿) 40  in 2001 . Next year in 2002, Tran Ninh and Hakoda first published in the Proceedings of the First National Symposium on Yellow Camellias of Vietnam with the scientific name Camellia quephongensis Hakoda et Ninh. In 2021, Le Nguyet Hai Ninh and colleagues reintroduced this species in the International Camellia Journal (No. 53).The young leaves of this species are used by locals as edible vegetables.

Small tree, 4-5 m tall; branchlets brown, pubescent. Leaves coriaceous, oblong-elliptic or oblong-lanceolate, 30-44 cm long, 7-9.5 cm wide; apices acuminate or caudate 1.6-3 cm long; bases cordate; deep green and shiny above, scattered punctate and pubescent at the base below; margins serrate; lateral veins 16-20 pairs; petioles 5-10 mm long, pubescent. Flowers terminal or axillary, 5.5-6.5 cm in diameter, pedicels 2-3 mm; bracts 5, scale-shaped (ovate), 2-3 mm long, 3-6 mm wide, pubescent; sepals 5, suborbicular, ca. 10 mm long, 12 mm wide, pubescent; petals 11-14, oblong-obovate, 23-32 mm long, 12-18 mm wide, densely pubescents, innermost petals adnate with filaments at the base about 3-5 mm long; stamens 20-23 mm long, outer filaments whorl basally connate for 5-10 mm, inner filaments free, pubescents at the base; ovaries pubescent, 3-locular (rarely 4-locular); styles 3 (rarely 4), 20-23 mm long, free, densely pubescent. Capsule depressed globose, strongly channelled, 3-4-locular, sometimes one locular becomes abortive. Seeds about 15-20 mm long. 

Distribution & habitat: grows in wet places by streams in the tropical forest at 200-300 m in altitude, flowers from December to February of the following year. 

Etymology: the specific epithet is named after the Que phong district, where the species was discovered.

Other specimens examined: TN 2011, TN 2012, TN 2013, TN 2015 (Vietnam National University Herbarium, Hanoi), VN 1034 (HN). 

Que Phong district, Nghe An province, VIETNAM，grows in wet places by streams in the tropical forest at 200-300 m in altitude.

阙丰金花茶 Camellia quephongensis Hakoda ex Le. 模式: 越南VIETNAM, 义安省（Nghe An province）, 阙丰县（Que Phong district）, 1999年1月15日, TN 1785 (holotype: 越南河内大学标本馆).

该植物由桐野秋丰和 Tran Ninh 于 1999 年在越南义安阙丰首次发现。2002 年，Tran Ninh 和 Hakoda 首次在《第一届越南黄茶花全国研讨会论文集》上发表了该物种，学名为 Camellia quephongensis Hakoda et Ninh。2021 年，Le Nguyet Hai Ninh 及其同事在《国际山茶会志》（第 53 期）上重新介绍了这一物种。该物种的嫩叶被当地人用作食用蔬菜。

小乔木，高4-5米；小枝棕色，被短柔毛。叶革质，长圆状椭圆形或长圆状披针形，长30-44厘米，宽7-9.5厘米；先端渐尖或尾状，长1.6-3厘米；基部心形；上面深绿色且具光泽，下面散生腺点且基部被短柔毛；边缘具锯齿；侧脉16-20对；叶柄长5-10毫米，被短柔毛。花：顶生或腋生，直径5.5-6.5厘米；花梗长2-3毫米；苞片5枚，鳞片状（卵形），长2-3毫米，宽3-6毫米，被短柔毛；萼片5枚，近圆形，长约10毫米，宽12毫米，被短柔毛；花瓣11-14枚，长圆状倒卵形，长23-32毫米，宽12-18毫米，密被短柔毛，最内层花瓣基部与雄蕊贴生，长约3-5毫米；雄蕊长20-23毫米，外轮花丝基部合生5-10毫米，内轮花丝离生，基部被短柔毛；子房被短柔毛，3室（稀4室）；花柱3枚（稀4枚），长20-23毫米，离生，密被短柔毛。蒴果：扁球形，具明显沟纹，3-4室，有时其中1室不育。种子：长约15-20毫米。

分布与生境：生长于热带森林溪边湿润处，海拔200-300米，花期12月至翌年2月。

词源：种加词源自该物种发现地——阙丰县（Que phong district）。

其他检查标本：TN 2011、TN 2012、TN 2013、TN 2015（存于河内越南国立大学植物标本馆），VN 1034（HN）。

越南VIETNAM, 义安省（Nghe An province）, 阙丰县（Que Phong district），生长于热带森林溪边湿润处，海拔200-300米。