武当菝葜 wu dang ba qia

Smilax discotis Warburg subsp. concolor (J. B. Norton) T. Koyama; S. discotis var. concolor J. B. Norton.

Vines climbing. Stem branched, 2--3 m, woody, scarcely prickly. Petiole 5--10 mm, winged; wings 3--5 × 1--2 mm; abscission zone just above winged portion; tendrils sometimes present. Leaf blade elliptic to ovate, 4--10 × 2--4.5 cm. Inflorescence borne in axil of young leaf on new branchlets, of 1 umbel, basally not prophyllate; peduncle 5--12 mm; umbels of both sexes several flowered, base slightly thickened, sometimes elongate; bracteoles persistent. Male flowers: tepals yellowish green, 6--7 × 1.4--2.8 mm. Female flowers: tepals smaller than male ones; staminodes 3--6. Berries purplish black, globose, 7--10 mm in diam. Fl. May, fr. Sep--Oct.

* Forests, thickets, shaded hillsides along valleys or streams; 1100--2100 m. Hubei, Jiangxi, Sichuan.