柳叶蜡梅 liu ye la mei

Chimonanthus nitens Oliver var. salicifolius (S. Y. Hu) H. D. Zhang; C. praecox (Linnaeus) Link var. pilosus L. Q. Chen.

Shrubs, semi-evergreen. Branchlets quadrangular when young but becoming subterete, hirsute. Petiole 3-6 mm, puberulent; leaf blade oblong-elliptic, linear-lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate, 6-13 × 2-2.8 cm, subleathery, base cuneate, apex obtuse to acuminate, both surfaces scabrous, abaxially hispidulous on veins and margin, adaxially light grayish green and with inconspicuous pubescence. Flowers solitary or rarely paired, small. Pedicel short. Tepals 15-17, yellowish; outer tepals elliptic, pubescent outside and on margin; median tepals linear, puberulous; inner tepals lanceolate, base clawed. Stamens 4 or 5. Carpels 6-8. Pseudocarp ovoid-ellipsoid to ellipsoid, 2.3-3.6 cm, constricted at apex. Achenes deep brown, oblong, 1-1.4 cm, puberulous. Fl. Aug-Oct, fr. May.

● Montane forests; 600-800 m. Anhui, Jiangxi, Zhejiang.

The leaves are used as medicine for influenza in Jiangxi.

"Chimonanthus anhuiensis T. B. Chao & Zhi X. Chen" (Acta Agric. Univ. Henan. 21: 419. 1987) belongs here but was not validly published because no type was indicated (Vienna Code, Art. 37.1).