长梗娃儿藤 chang geng wa er teng

Tylophora longipedicellata Tsiang & P. T. Li; T. renchangii Tsiang.

Lianas to 3 m. Stems pale gray, longitudinally striate, pubescent along 1 side, glabrescent. Petiole 5-13 mm, pubescent; leaf blade elliptic-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 4.5-8 × 2-3.5 cm, papery, sparsely pubescent along midvein, base cuneate or rounded, apex acute or short acuminate, rarely mucronate. Inflorescences shorter than leaves; peduncle 0.5-1.5 cm, glabrous or sparsely puberulent; cymules umbel-like to short racemelike, 1 or 2 separated by a very short rachis. Pedicel 1-2.8 cm. Sepals lanceolate, ca. 3 × 1 mm, villous; glands 5. Corolla greenish white, rotate; tube ca. 2 mm; lobes ovate-oblong, ca. 4 × 2 mm. Corona lobes inserted at base of anthers, circular to almost square, up to 1.5 mm wide and ± forming a cup as high as anthers, apex abruptly inflexed acuminate. Anther appendages rounded; pollinia cylindric-ellipsoid, horizontal. Stigma head discoid. Follicles diverging at 180º, linear-lanceolate in outline, 4.5-6.5 cm × 8-10 mm, glabrous. Seeds oblong-ovate, ca. 4 × 2 mm; coma 1.5-2 cm. Fl. Apr-Aug, fr. Sep-Dec.

Open woods, along riversides or roadsides, thickets; 0-500 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan [Vietnam]

The roots are used for the treatment of traumatic injury and fractures, and the leaves for viper bites.

The corona lobes of Tylophora glabra are almost as in Heterostemma and quite unlike any other Tylophora seen from mainland Asia. The inclusion of T. longipedicellata is somewhat tentative, and collections from Hainan, which otherwise match T. glabra extremely well, do not show the short corona lobes with the erect acuminate tip illustrated in the protologue.