酸苔菜 suan tai cai

Shrubs or trees to 6 m tall, glabrous. Branchlets prominently angular, 5-7 mm in diam. Petiole canaliculate, 1-2 cm; leaf blade elliptic or oblanceolate, 12-20 × 4-7 cm, papery, conspicuously black punctate and punctate-lineate abaxially, not prominently punctate adaxially, base cuneate or narrowly decurrent on petiole, margin subrevolute, entire, apex acute; lateral veins ca. 20 on each side of midrib, raised on both surfaces, marginal vein absent. Inflorescences at bases of new shoots, paniculate with racemose or rarely corymbose branches, 3-8 cm. Flowers leathery, pink, ca. 1 cm. Sepals broadly ovate to reniform, ca. 3 mm, densely black punctate, base subauriculate, margin subentire or crenulate, ciliate, scarious, apex rounded. Petals nearly free; lobes broadly ovate, ca. 9 mm, punctate, margin entire, hyaline, apex obtuse or acute. Stamens subequalling petals; filaments ca. 1/4 anther length; anthers linear-lanceolate, densely punctate dorsally, longitudinally dehiscent, apex acute. Pistil subequalling petals; ovary globose, densely punctate; ovules numerous, multiseriate. Fruit purplish red or blackish, oblate, 7-9 mm in diam., densely black punctate. Fl. Feb-Mar, fr. Aug-Nov. 2n = 46.

Mixed forests, shrubby areas, mountains or hillsides; 400-1600 m. SW Guangxi, S and SE Yunnan [India, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, cultivated in Hawaii].