Camellia

Camellia View in CoL L. section Piquetia ( Pierre 1887: t.119) Sealy (1958: 108)

= Camellia section Lecomtia Orel in Orel and Curry (2015: 154).

Notes: —Section Lecomtia was initially established as a monotypic section with C. campanulata View in CoL designated as its type species ( Orel & Curry 2015). Two key characters proposed to distinguish Lecomtia from the other sections of Camellia View in CoL were its possession of 3 sepals and 6 petals. However, field photos of the fresh type material ( Luu Hong Truong, Nguyen Quoc Dat, G. Orel & A. S. Curry 1257, SGN! & NSW!) ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ) and a later collection ( Khuong Huu Thang & Luu Hong Truong BGM2025-1, SGN!) confirm that C. campanulata View in CoL actually possesses 5 sepals and 6–8 petals. Furthermore, the other defining features of Lecomtia —including narrowly elliptic to very narrow elliptic leaves; axillary or terminal, pedunculate, campanulate, and solitary flowers; numerous stamens; free styles with proximal fine pubescence; and a densely tomentose ovary—align with the diagnostic characteristics of section Piquetia .

Given these findings, it is reasonable to treat section Lecomtia as a heterotypic synonym of section Piquetia , following Article 11.4 of the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (Shenzhen Code) ( Turland et al. 2018). This conclusion is consistent with Doudkin et al. (2023), who also transferred C. campanulata to Piquetia . Additionally, it is noteworthy that all known species of section Piquetia uniformly possess five sepals.

Camellia cattienensis Orel (2012: 566) View in CoL . Type:— VIETNAM. Lam Dong Province: margem do rio Dong Nai, terra firme, 19 December 2007, G. Orel, G. Richards , M. Richards & staff of Cat Tien National Park Orel 0711 ( holotype NSW!; isotypes NSW!, HN)

= Camellia campanulata Orel, Curry & Luu View in CoL ( Orel & Curry 2015: 154), syn. nov. Type: — VIETNAM. Binh Phuoc Province: Bu Gia Map National Park, about 1.0 km from Cambodian border, 18 December 2011, Luu Hong Truong , Nguyen Quoc Dat , G. Orel & A.S. Curry 1257 ( holotype SGN!; isotype NSW!).

= Camellia longii Orel & Luu ( Orel et al. 2014: 46), syn. nov. Type: — VIETNAM. Lam Dong Province: Cat Tien National Park, 10 September 2009, Vu Ngoc Long CT4 ( holotype SGN!, paratypes NSW!, SGN!).

Notes:— Camellia cattienensis was initially placed in section Archaecamellia Sealy (1958: 108) ( Orel & Wilson 2012) before it was recently reassigned, along with C. campanulata , to section Piquetia ( Doudkin et al. 2023) . Camellia longii was described from Cat Tien National Park in Lam Dong Province, which is the same type locality as C. cattienensis . A detailed comparison of the protologues reveals no significant morphological differences that could distinguish these three species. Their similarity is further evidenced in Orel and Curry (2015), where they are redescribed in detail, complete with photographs taken from type specimens. Additionally, it is noted that the type specimens of C. campanulata were actually collected on December 18, 2011, rather than July 2011 as stated in the protologue.

According to Article 11.4 of the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (Shenzhen Code) ( Turland et al. 2018), the name C. cattienensis has priority over C. campanulata and C. longii due to earlier publication. Consequently, C. campanulata and C. longii are treated here as heterotypic synonyms of C. cattienensis .

Additional examined collections:— VIETNAM. Binh Phuoc Province: Bu Gia Map National Park , 5 April 2025, Khuong Huu Thang & Luu Hong Truong BGM2025-1 View Materials ( SGN!) ; Lam Dong Province: Da Hoai District , 23 February 2012, Luu Hong Truong BD 634, BD635 & BD636 ( SGN!) ; Lam Dong Province: Cat Tien District , 1 January 2022, Luu Hong Truong & Vu Ngoc Long CL4 ( SGN!) .