褐毛海桐 he mao hai tong

Shrubs or small trees ca. 5 m tall. Young branchlets brown pubescent; old branchlets dark brown, glabrous, sparsely lenticellate. Leaves clustered at branchlet apex, annual or biennial; petiole 1–1.5 cm, pubescent at first, soon glabrate; leaf blade yellow-brown abaxially after drying, dark green and shiny adaxially, oblong, 6–9 × 2.5–3.5 cm, leathery, pubescent on both surfaces when young, soon glabrate, lateral veins 10–12-paired, slightly convex abaxially, slightly visible adaxially, reticulate veins prominent abaxially, indistinct adaxially, base cuneate, decurrent, margin slightly rugose, apex acute. Inflorescences terminal, umbellate, numerous flowered; bracts linear, 2–3 mm; pedicels 1–1.5 cm, brown pubescent. Sepals free, ovate-lanceolate, ca. 2.5 mm, pubescent, margin ciliate. Petals 7–8 mm. Stamens 4–5 mm. Ovary ovoid, brown pubescent; ovary wall ca. 0.4 mm thick; placentas 2, parietal; ovules 8–12. Style 1–2 mm. Capsule globose, slightly compressed, ca. 1 cm in diam., dehiscing by 2 valves; pericarp woody, 0.7–1 mm thick, horizontally striate adaxially; placentas slighty exserted in middle part of valves; pedicel 1–2 cm. Seeds 8–10; funicle very short. Fl. Feb–Apr, fr. May–Nov.

Forests, thickets, limestone and sandstone areas. N Guangdong.