Recognition of the status of Stemona mairei (H. Lév.) K. Krause (Stemonaceae), an endemic species in the valley of the Jinsha River, China

We investigated specimens and wild populations of Stemona mairei (H. Lév.) K. Krause, and combined field observations of individuals from the locations of the type specimens of S.jinshajiangensis X.D. Cong et G.J. Xu and S.jinshajiangensis var. dianbeiensis X.D. Cong et G.J. Xu. Results showed that the variation in morphological characteristics of S.jinshajiangensis and S.jinshajiangensis var. dianbeiensis were within the normal profile of S. mairei. Therefore, we suggest that S.jinshajiangensis and S.jinshajiangensis var. dianbeiensis should be defined as synonymies of S. mairei. A supplementary morphological description of S. mairei is provided according to the six wild populations. We also briefly evaluated the threatened status of S. mairei and its potential as a medicinal resource based on our preliminary study of its flowering, fruiting, and seed dispersal tactics.