夜花藤属 ye hua teng shu

Woody vines. Stems with young growing tips sometimes tendril-like. Leaf blade entire, not peltate, palmately 3(-7)-veined. Inflorescences axillary, cymose paniculate, usually minute. Male flowers: sepals 7-12, spirally arranged, imbricate, outer sepals minute and bracteolelike, inner larger; petals 4 or 5, fleshy, usually obovate or spatulate, sometimes absent; stamens 5-10 [to many], free or shortly connate at base, anthers dehiscing longitudinally. Female flowers: sepals and petals similar to male; staminodes present or absent; carpels (?1-)2 or 3(-6?), style short, stigma entire or 3-lobed, reflexed. Drupes subcompressed obovoid to subglobose, style scar near base; endocarp bony, curved, abaxially rugulose and bearing transverse ridges radially arranged outside; condyle with 2 lateral cavities each with an external aperture or no aperture. Seed embryo terete, almost curved into a circle, embedded in endosperm; cotyledons subequal to or shorter than radicle.

About six species: S and SE Asia to Pacific islands and Australia; one species in China.

Lower Taxon

• Hypserpa nitida Miers