蜂斗草 feng dou cao

Sonerila cantonensis var. strigosa C. Chen; S. yunnanensis Jeffrey.

Herbs or shrublets, (15-)20-50 cm tall, sometimes stoloniferous. Stems obtusely 4-sided, spreading-hirsute and puberulous, glabrescent, usually lenticellate. Petiole 0.5-3(-6) cm, densely hirsute or villous; leaf blade ovate, elliptic-ovate, narrowly lanceolate-oblong, or subelliptic, 3-5.5(-13) × 1.8-6 cm, papery to submembranous, abaxially hispid on veins and sometimes trichomes brownish purplish, adaxially sparsely appressed setose or strigose, secondary veins 1 or 2(or 3) on each side of midvein, base cuneate to obtuse and sometimes slightly oblique, margin serrulate with each tooth having a terminal seta, apex shortly acuminate to acute. Inflorescences terminal, scorpioid cymes or dichasial cymes, 3-7-flowered, densely puberulous and with sparse glandular trichomes or densely villous; peduncle. 1.5-3 cm, puberulous and with sparse trichomes; bracts caducous. Pedicel 1-3 mm, slightly 3-sided. Hypanthium tubular-campanulate, 5-7 mm, 3-sided, 6-ribbed, puberulous or with sparse glandular trichomes. Calyx lobes broadly triangular, ca. 1 mm, pilose, apex acute. Petals pink to pale rose-colored, oblong, 5-10 mm, with sparse glandular trichomes or pilose on ridge, apex acute. Stamens 3, equal; filament ca. 7 mm; anthers ca. 8 mm, base slightly forked. Ovary flask-shaped, apex with a membranous crown. Capsule campanulate, 5-7 × 4-5 mm, 3-sided; hypanthium 6-ribbed, glabrous. Fl. Jun-Oct, fr. Dec-Feb.

● Dense forests, hillsides, valleys, shaded damp places, dry or damp places, grassy areas; 500-1500 m. Guangdong, Yunnan [?Vietnam].

This species has also been treated as a synonym of Sonerila maculata (Renner et al., Fl. Thailand 7(3): 488. 2001), but study of Chinese material shows that it is probably a distinct species.