小果菝葜 xiao guo ba qia

Smilax china Linnaeus var. brachypoda Rehder.

Vines climbing. Stem branched, 1--2(--4) m, terete, slightly woody, sparsely prickly. Petiole usually 5--7 mm, winged for 1/2--2/3 its length; wings 2--4 mm wide; abscission zone just above winged portion; tendrils rather short. Leaf blade usually elliptic, 3--7(--14) × 2--4.5(--12) cm. Inflorescence borne in axil of young leaf on new branchlets, of 1 umbel, basally not prophyllate; peduncle 5--14 mm; umbels of both sexes 3--13-flowered, base thickened, sometimes slightly elongate; bracteoles persistent. Male flowers: tepals yellowish green, 3.5--4 × 1--2 mm. Female flowers: tepals subequaling male ones, staminodes 6. Berries globose, 5--6 mm in diam. Fl. Mar--Apr, fr. Oct--Nov.

Forests, thickets; 400--1700 m. Fujian, Guizhou, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang [Japan].