Aspidistra yuelushanensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from Hunan, China

Aspidistra yuelushanensis, a new species of Asparagaceae is described and illustrated from typical hilly red soil region in Hunan Province, central southern China. This novelty is similar to A. chishuiensis by sharing purplish-red and campanulate perianth, but differs from the latter by its stamens inserted at the base (vs. inserted at the middle) of perianth tube, filaments spreading horizontally or slightly upward and enlarged (vs. sessile), perianth lobes slightly outcurved (vs. slightly incurved). It also resembles A. tenuifolia and A. pingfaensis, but differs from the latter two in its leave blade elliptic-lanceolate (vs. narrowly long to ribbon-shaped and linear, respectively), stigma 5 (vs. 7–8 and 8–9, respectively) mm in diameter. A key to the species of Aspidistra in Hunan province is provided.

Application of the Simple Biosphere Model 2 (SiB2) with Irrigation Module to a Typical Low-Hilly Red Soil Farmland and the Sensitivity Analysis of Modeled Energy Fluxes in Southern China

Land surface processes are an important part of the Earth’s mass and energy cycles. The application of a land surface process model for farmland in the low-hilly red soil region of southern China continues to draw research attention. Conventional model does not perform well in the simulation of irrigated farmland, because the influence of land surface water is not considered. In this study, an off-line version of the Simple Biosphere model 2 (SiB2) was locally parameterized in a typical farmland of the low-hilly red soil region using field observations and remote sensing data. The performance of SiB2 was then evaluated through comparison to Bowen-ratio direct measurements in a second growing period of rice in 2015 (late rice from 23 July to 31 October). The results show that SiB2 underestimated latent heat flux (LE) by 16.0% and overestimated sensible heat flux (H) by 16.7%, but net radiation flux (Rn) and soil heat flux were reasonably simulated. The single factor sensitivity analysis of Rn, H, and LE modeled in SiB2 indicated that downward shortwave radiation (DSR) and downward longwave radiation (DLR) had a significant effect on Rn simulation. In driving data, DSR, DLR and wind speed (u) were the main factors that could cause a distinct change in sensible heat flux. An irrigation module was added to the original SiB2 model to simulate the influence of irrigated paddy fields according to the sensitivity analysis results of the parameters (C1, bulk boundary-layer resistance coefficient; C2, ground to canopy air-space resistance coefficient; and Ws, volumetric water content at soil surface layer). The results indicate that application of the parameterized SiB2 with irrigation module could be better in southern Chinese farmland.