曲枝天门冬 qu zhi tian men dong

Herbs dioecious. Roots rather slender. Stems suberect, strongly flexuous distally, 60--100 cm, sometimes sparsely cartilaginous denticulate; branches strongly reflexed basally, ascending distally; branchlets ± cartilaginous denticulate. Cladodes in fascicles of 5--8, usually appressed to branches, filiform, 0.7--1.8 cm × ca. 0.3 mm, irregularly grooved. Leaf spur slightly spinescent; spine 1--3 mm on main stems, indistinct on branches. Inflorescences developing after cladodes. Flowers of both sexes paired; pedicel 1.2--1.6 cm. Male flowers: perianth yellowish green, usually tinged with pale purple, campanulate, 6--8 mm; filaments adnate to perianth segments for ca. 1/2 their length. Female flowers: perianth 2.5--3.5 mm. Berry 6--7 mm in diam., 3--5-seeded. Fl. May, fr. Jul--Sep. 2 n = 30*.

Grassy slopes, roadsides, field margins, waste lands; near sea level to 2100 m. Hebei, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Shanxi [Mongolia, Russia (E Siberia)].