扁片海桐 bian pian hai tong

Trees small. Bark black-brown. Young branchlets dark brown after drying, pubescent, glabrate; old branchlets lenticellate. Leaves 4–7-clustered at branchlet apex, biennial; petiole 5–10 mm; leaf blade green and shiny adaxially, oblanceolate, 4–6 × 1–2 cm, leathery, pubescent abaxially at first, soon glabrate, lateral veins ca. 6-paired, slightly convex on both surfaces, reticulate veins prominent abaxially, base narrowly cuneate, margin flat, apex acute. Inflorescences terminal, umbellate, 8–17-flowered; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 9–10 mm, pubescent; bracteoles linear, 7–8 mm; pedicels 1–1.5 cm, pubescent. Sepals linear-lanceolate, 5–7 mm, pubescent. Petals subequaling sepals. Stamens 4–5 mm. Pistil equaling stamens; ovary long ovoid, ca. 2 mm, pubescent; ovary wall ca. 0.5 mm thick; placentas 2, parietal; ovules ca. 12; stipe very short; style ca. 2 mm, glabrous. Capsule compressed globose, 10–12 mm in diam., dehiscing by 2 valves; pericarp pale yellow and compressed adaxially, 1–1.5 mm thick, woody, horizontally ca. 10-striate. Seeds 10–12, ca. 3.5 mm. Fl. Feb–May, fr. May–Oct.

Forests, slopes, limestone areas; 200--1300 m. NE Guangxi (Guilin Shi, Lingui Xian).