瘤果蛇根草 liu guo she gen cao

Ophiorrhiza stenophylla Hayata, Icon. Pl. Formosan. 2: 91. Oct 1912, not Valeton (Feb 1912).

Herbs, erect, to 50 cm tall; stems subterete or weakly 4-angled, glabrous to puberulent or strigillose. Leaves in subequal pairs; petiole 0.3-1.5(-2) cm, glabrous to puberulent; blade drying papery, discolorous, narrowly elliptic-oblong, elliptic, or lanceolate, 2-10(-15) × 0.8-2.5(-3) cm, glabrous on both surfaces or often hispidulous near margins adaxially, base acute to attenuate, apex acute to acuminate; secondary veins 4-8 pairs; stipules deciduous, broadly triangular to rounded, 0.5-1 mm, puberulent to glabrescent and/or glandular, sometimes erose. Inflorescence several to many flowered, cymose, densely puberulent to pilosulous sometimes in lines, fasciculate or peduncle 1.5-2(-4) cm; axes subcapitate to helicoid; bracteoles linear to narrowly triangular, 0.5-4 mm, glabrous, persistent or deciduous as fruit develop. Flowers with biology unknown, subsessile or on pedicels to 1.5 mm, sometimes tuberculate. Calyx glabrous to puberulent; hypanthium suburceolate to oblate, ca. 1.2(-2) mm, densely tuberculate with peglike structures on lower part and also sometimes on sides, 5-ribbed; lobes linear to spatulate, 1-1.3 mm. Corolla white, slenderly funnelform, outside glabrous; tube (12-)13-15 mm, inside barbate in throat; lobes triangular, 2.5-3(-4) mm, ciliate, dorsally winged and with very short horn near apex. Capsules obcordate, ca. 4 × 8-10 mm, tuberculate and sometimes pilosulous.

● Broad-leaved forests; 500-900 m. Taiwan.

Some measurements given by H. S. Lo in FRPS (71(1): 129. 1999) have not been seen on specimens and are provisionally presented in parentheses. The floral biology of this species has not been described; the specimens seen appear to be monomorphic with the anthers positioned at or just below the corolla throat and the stigmas perhaps positioned at the same level.