棣棠花属 di tang hua shu

Li Chaoluan (Li Chao-luang); Hiroshi Ikeda, Hideaki Ohba

Shrubs deciduous. Branchlets virgate, arising from scaly buds, slender. Leaves alternate; stipules linear-subulate, caducous; leaf blade simple, margin doubly serrate. Flowers terminal on lateral branchlets, solitary, large, bisexual. Hypanthium shortly saucer-shaped, flat. Sepals 5, valvate. Petals 5, yellow, base shortly clawed. Stamens numerous, in several series. Carpels 5, free, included in hypanthium; ovules 2, laterally attached to middle of suture, 1 abortive; style apical, erect, filiform, apex truncate. Fruit an achene, laterally compressed, glabrous. x = 9.

One species: China, Japan.

Lower Taxon

• Kerria japonica (Linnaeus) Candolle