毛果枣 mao guo zao

Ziziphus trichocarpa Hung T. Chang.

Shrubs scandent. Young branches purple-black, subcylindric, glabrous; old branches red-brown, with conspicuous lenticels. Stipular spine 1, recurved, ca. 1 mm, 3-5 mm wide basally; petiole 5-9 mm, subglabrous or sparsely pilose; leaf blade adaxially dark green, oblong or ovate-elliptic, 7-13 × 3.5-7 cm, papery or subleathery, adaxially glabrous, veins distinctly prominent abaxially, impressed adaxially, base asymmetric, subrounded, rarely cordate, margin crenulate or inconspicuously denticulate, apex long acuminate, with slightly curved obtuse mucro 5-10 mm. Inflorescences to 25 cm; branches 2-11 cm, densely yellow-brown pubescent, with numerous flowers. Flowers yellow, in terminal cymose racemes or large cymose panicles. Sepals ovate-triangular, ca. 1.5 mm, abaxially densely yellow-brown pilose. Petals obovate, shorter than sepals, clawed at base. Stamens slightly shorter than petals. Disk pentagonous, thick, fleshy, 5-lobed. Ovary globose, densely pubescent; styles 2-cleft to half. Drupe compressed-ellipsoid or compressed-globose, 1.9-2.2 × 1.3-1.8 cm, yellow-brown or orange pilose, base with persistent tube, apex mucronulate; fruiting pedicel 4-7 mm, yellow-brown pilose; mesocarp thin, fleshy; endocarp weak, ca. 1 mm thick, fragile-crustaceous; stone 1-loculed, 1-seeded; fruiting rachis to 30 cm, stout; branches 5-15 cm, densely yellow-brown pilose. Seeds red-brown, compressed, oblong-ellipsoid, ca. 1.3 × 1.1 mm; cotyledon large. Fl. Feb-May, fr. Apr-Jun.

Sparse forests, thickets; below 1500 m. W Guangxi, S Yunnan [Laos, Thailand].

This species is closely related to Ziziphus fungii but differs in having slightly thinner leaves, with barbate vein axils and without secondary lateral veins, and fruit larger, yellow-brown pilose.