肉轴胡椒 rou zhou hu jiao

Climbers glabrous except for rachis and bases of bracts when mature, dioecious. Stems grayish black when dry, thickly ridged, sparsely roughly pubescent when young. Petiole 1(-1.5) cm, hispid, especially adaxially, sheathed at base only; leaf blades ovate, those at apex of stem longer, 4.5-9 × 2.5-6 cm, papery, without glands, glabrous, base rounded, slightly oblique, apex acute; veins 7, abaxially very prominent, apical pair arising 0.8-2 cm above base; reticulate veins conspicuous. Spikes leaf-opposed. Male spikes 5-8.5 cm × ca. 2 mm; peduncle hispid, ca. 1 cm; rachis glabrous; bracts orbicular, ca. 1 mm wide, peltate, sessile. Stamens 3; filaments thick, nearly as long as anthers; anthers reniform. Female spikes 3-3.5 cm × ca. 2 mm at anthesis, drying black; peduncle and rachis as in male spikes; bracts suborbicular, sometimes base slightly tapered, 1-1.1 × 0.5-0.6 mm. Ovary ovoid, partly connate to rachis; stigmas 3, ellipsoid, ca. 0.5 mm. Drupe not seen. Fl. Mar-Apr.

Hilltops, valley forests, on rocks or trees; 1400-2000 m. S to SW Yunnan [Myanmar]