滑壳柯 hua qiao ke

Trees 10-15 m tall. Young branchlets sulcate; branches of last year's growth dark brown, sparsely lenticellate. Petiole 1-1.5 cm; leaf blade ovate-elliptic to elliptic, 13-20 × 4-7 cm, ± rigidly papery, abaxially with adherent, waxy scalelike trichomes and grayish when dry, adaxially glabrous, base broadly cuneate, margin entire, apex acuminate; secondary veins 12-16 on each side of midvein, abruptly curving apically near margin but not fusing; tertiary veins abaxially conspicuous, subparallel. Male inflorescences axillary, solitary, 6-9 cm; rachis pubescent. Female inflorescence with cupules in clusters of ca. 3. Infructescences 6-8 cm; rachis 7-8 mm thick, lenticellate. Cupule ellipsoid, 0.5-2 × 1.2-1.6 cm, completely enclosing nut, outside with yellowish brown to dark gray, waxy scalelike trichomes, both ends narrowed, wall ca. 1 mm thick; bracts united into concentric lines. Nut broadly ellipsoid to subglobose, 1-1.4 cm in diam., apex with appressed minute hairs, wall 1.5-3 mm thick and thickened gradually from apex to base; scar covering more than 1/2 of nut, convex. Fl. Aug-Sep, fr. Sep-Oct of following year.

* Broad-leaved evergreen forests; 900-1500 m. S Guizhou