杠柳 gang liu

Shrubs deciduous, to 4 m. Petiole to 5 mm; leaf blade ovate-oblong, 5-9 × 1.5-2.5 cm, membranous, base cuneate, apex attenuate; lateral veins 20-25 pairs. Cymes on lateral branchlets, often paired, few flowered. Pedicel ca. 2 cm. Sepals triangular-ovate, ca. 3 × 2 mm. Corolla mostly purple, ca. 1.5 cm in diam.; tube ca. 3 mm; lobes oblong-lanceolate, ca. 8 × 4 mm, strongly reflexed, abaxially glabrous, adaxially pilose near margin, with prominent, elongated, raised, pale patch along center. Corona lobes glabrous. Follicles cylindric, 7-12 cm × ca. 5 mm, pair often connected at tip. Seeds oblong, ca. 7 × 1 mm; coma ca. 3 cm. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jun-Jul. 2n = 22*.

* Plains, forest edges, slopes. Throughout China except Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, and Taiwan