Abrus pulchellus in Flora of China @ efloras.org

2. Abrus pulchellus Wallich ex Thwaites, Enum. Pl. Zeyl. 91. 1859.

美丽相思子 mei li xiang si zi

Lianas, climbing. Stem slender, sparsely yellow strigose or villous. Leaves paripinnate, alternate; leaflets 6-10-paired, opposite; petiolule short; blades suboblong, oblong, or obovate-oblong, 0.5-3 × 0.3-1 cm, membranous, sparsely white strigose or densely white villous abaxially, glabrous or pilose adaxially, rounded or subcordate at base, truncate and with mucro at apex. Racemes axillary, 3-10 cm. Flowers dense, 3-9 mm. Calyx campanulate, 4-toothed, white strigose or densely gray villous. Corolla pink, purple, or purple-red. Stamens 9. Legumes oblong, (2-)5-6.5 × 0.8-1.5 cm, densely white hairy, dehiscent, with 4-12 seeds. Seeds black-brown or black, lustrous to slightly lustrous, elliptic or ovoid, compressed.

Forests, hill slopes; 200-3000 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hunan, Yunnan [Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam].

1 Indumentum usually at least partly ferruginous, mostly erect, but often gray on leaves, or if indumentum gray then leaflets ca. 3 cm and legume 3.5-4.9 cm. 2b subsp. mollis

+ Indumentum sparse and grayish, not ferruginous, adpressed (rarely petiole appearing brown but hairs always pale) (2)

2 (1) Leaflets 0.7-4 cm, base rounded; legume 3.2-9 cm. 2a subsp. pulchellus

+ Leaflets mostly ca. 1 cm, base distinctly subcordate; legume 2-3.3 cm. 2c subsp. cantoniensis

Lower Taxa