First Record of <i>Loropetalum chinense</i> (Hamamelidaceae) in Flora of Vietnam

ABSTRACT Loropetalum chinense (R.Br.) Oliv., a species that was previously documented to only be distributed in China, Japan, and India, with all distribution records north of the Tropic of Cancer, has now been recorded for the flora of Vietnam. The newly discovered population from the Son La Province in northwestern Vietnam, south of the Tropic of Cancer, represents the southernmost extent of the distribution of L. chinense . Detailed morphological descriptions, field photos, and a distribution map were provided.