台湾赤瓟 tai wan chi bao

Herbs, climbing; whole plant subglabrous. Stems and branches with obvious longitudinal striae. Petiole 3-12 cm, sometimes sparsely shortly setose in upper part; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially dark green, narrowly ovate or narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 8-16(-20) × 6-10(-12) cm, membranous, glabrous, lateral veins at base not bordering sinus, margin dentate or sinuate-dentate, apex acuminate; basal sinus semicircular, 1-2 cm deep, 0.5-1.5 cm wide. Tendrils simple. Male flowers: inflorescences racemose or paniculate, rarely flowers solitary; peduncles slender, 4-8 cm; pedicels filiform, 0.5-1 cm; calyx tube broadly campanulate, 5-6 mm; segments lanceolate, ca. 8 mm, ca. 2 mm wide at base, 3-5-veined, acuminate at apex; stamens 4 in pairs and 1 free; filaments ca. 4 mm, base pubescent; anthers oblong, 2-3 mm; rudimentary ovary semiglobose, 2-3 mm in diam., with 3 membranous scales at base; scales yellow, ca. 3 mm. Female flowers usually solitary, rarely 2 at apex of peduncle; peduncles ca. 1 cm; pedicels 2-5 cm, glabrous; calyx and corolla as in male flowers but corolla usually larger than in male flowers; segments 2-2.5 × 1.1-1.2 cm, acuminate at apex; staminodes 4 in pairs and 1 free, ca. 1 mm; ovary ovoid, 1-1.3 × 0.4-0.6 cm, slightly pubescent, glabrescent, base rounded, apex attenuate; styles 2-3 mm, 3-fid; stigma reniform, expanded, 1.5-2 mm in diam. Fruiting pedicel 3-7 cm, glabrous; fruit ovoid or oblong, 3-5 × 2-3.5 cm, smooth, base obtuse-rounded, apex mucronate. Seeds brown, broadly ovoid, 5-6 × 3-4 mm, ca. 1 mm thick, base rounded, apex slightly narrowed. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Aug.

● Mountain slopes, forests, wet places; 600-900 m. Anhui, Fujian, Jiangxi, Taiwan, Zhejiang.