武鸣金花茶 Camellia wumingensis S.Ye Liang & C.R.Fu ex Hai L.ChenCamellia wumingensis

Shrub, 1–3 m tall, evergreen. Branches greyish brown to greyish yellow; young branches greyish yellow; current-year branchlets purplish red, glabrous; terminal buds glabrous, green. Leaves simple, alternate; petiole 5–10 mm long, 1–1.5 mm in diam., green, glabrous, adaxially grooved; leaf blade elliptic to long elliptic, 7–11 × 2.5–5 cm, thinly leathery, adaxially green, abaxially pale green, brown glandular punctate, both surfaces glabrous, base broadly cuneate to subrounded, apex acuminate to shortly caudate, margin serrulate; midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially impressed, secondary veins 5–8 on each side of midvein, abaxially raised and adaxially slightly impressed, reticulate veins abaxially slightly raised and adaxially invisible. Flower buds ovate to long-ovate, 10–11 × 7–8 mm, glabrous; flowers axillary or terminal, solitary or paired, open flowers evenly circular, yellow or pale yellow, 2–5 cm in diam.; pedicel distinct, 5 mm long, 1.5-3 mm in diam.; bracteoles 4–6, semiorbicular, green, unequal, 0.4–0.6 × 0.1–0.25 mm, outside glabrous, inside white puberulent, margin ciliolate. Sepals 5–8, ovate to long-ovate, green to yellowish green, 4–10 × 5–7 mm, outside glabrous, inside white puberulent, base truncate, apex rounded, margin ciliolate. Petals 7–9, yellow or pale yellow, elliptic, broadly ovate to obovate, 1.3–2.5 × 1.0–1.5 cm, inner petals united with outermost filaments 3–5 mm at the base. Androecium ca. 150 stamens, in 2 circles, yellow; filaments 1.2–1.8 cm long, glabrous, outer filament 0.7 mm in diam., whorl basally connate for 3–5 mm, inner filament 1 mm in diam., distinct; anthers yellow, 1.2–1.8 mm long; pollen prolate, 35–40 × 23–30 μm. Gynoecium 1.7−3.0 cm long; ovary superior, 3(–4) loculed, subglobose or cylindrical, 1.9–2.1 mm long, 1.5 2.0mm in diam., glabrous; styles 3–4, 1.5–1.8 cm long, 0.5 mm in diam., free or basally connate for 7–9 mm, glabrous; stigma yellow, indistinct. Capsule oblate, 1.2 2.5 cm in diam., 3(–4)-loculed with 1 or 2 seeds per locule; pericarp 0.7–1.3 mm thick. Seeds brown, globose or hemispherical, ca. 1 cm in diameter.

It is morphologically similar to C. flavida var. patens in having current-year branchlets purplish red, petiole adaxially grooved, flowers axillary or terminal, ovary glabrous, capsule oblate, and seeds brown, but is readily distinguished by the leaf texture and size, number of secondary veins, flower size, flower bud shape and size, number of petals, degree of fusion of the outer filaments, and pericarp thickness. 

Wuming District, Guangxi, China.

武鸣金花茶 Camellia wumingensis S.Y .Liang et C. R. Fu南宁市金花茶公园，2021.《国内外金花茶物种图鉴》，广西科学技术出版社，第96-97页。【形态特征】常绿濯木，高1.5-3.0m。树皮浅棕黄色。嫩枝圆柱形，浅红棕色，无毛；老枝灰白或黄棕色：叶芽锥形，深绿色。嫩叶红棕色。老叶革质，椭圆形或长椭圆形，长6.5-11.4cm，宽3.3-4.9cm，叶缘有胼胝质浅细锯齿，先端窄短尾尖或短渐尖，基部楔形，正面深绿色，背面浅绿色有黑色腺点；侧脉5-7对；主脉和侧脉在叶面凹陷，在叶背凸起；网脉在叶两面均可见；叶柄长0.8-1.1cm，无毛。花蕾球形。花橙黄色，单生或2-3朵簇生，顶生或腋生，直径3.2-5.0cm；花梗长0.5-1.1cm；苞片4-5枚，半圆形，外面有蜡质光泽；萼片5-7枚，深绿色带深红色，外面无毛，里面至边缘有白色短茸毛，卵形或近圆形，宿存；花瓣8-10枚，椭圆形或宽卵形，外轮花瓣有蜡质光泽，瓣面脉纹不明显；花丝长0.9-1.2cm，4-5轮筒状排 列，外轮基部与花瓣合生，内轮离生，无毛；花药黄色，椭圆形；花柱3条，长1.4-1.8cm，比雄蕊长，无毛，离生；子房近扁球形，光滑无毛，3室。蒴果扁球形，深紫红色带浅绿色，光滑，直径3.7-4.2cm，高1.7-2.3cm，重13.1-23.5g，果皮厚1.3-1.9mm。种子每室1-3粒，近球形、半球形或三角状球形，黑色，有褶皱条纹。花期8-11月，果熟期4-5月。【原产地】该种是中国的一个特有种，分布于广西武鸣，生长在海拔190-370m的石灰岩常绿阔叶林中。【识别要点】该种花橙黄色，外轮花瓣有蜡质光泽；蒴果多为深紫红色，种子黑色，有褶皱条纹；花期8-11月，果熟期4-5月。

广西武鸣. 中国特有种。