滇南连蕊茶 dian nan lian rui cha

Shrubs ca. 3 m tall. Young branches grayish brown; year-old branchlets reddish brown, glabrous; current year branchlets grayish yellow pubescent. Petiole 2-3 mm, grayish yellow pubescent; leaf blade oblong-elliptic to elliptic, 5-7.5 × 1.8-2.5 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green and sparsely villous along midvein or glabrescent, adaxially dark green and hirtellous along midvein, midvein raised on both surfaces, secondary veins slightly raised on both surfaces or adaxially obscure, base broadly cuneate, margin serrulate, apex caudate. Flowers axillary, solitary or paired. Pedicel ca. 7 mm, ca. 3 mm thick, glabrous or sparsely pubescent, thickened toward apex; bracteoles 3, ovate, 0.5-1 mm, outside pubescent, margin ciliolate. Calyx narrowly campanulate, 5-5.6 mm; lobes 5, unequal, semiorbicular to suborbicular, 1.5-2.5 mm, outside apically puberulent, margin ciliolate. Petals and stamens not seen. Ovary globose, ca. 2.5 mm in diam., glabrous, 3-loculed; style ca. 1 cm, apically 3-lobed. Capsule not seen. Fl. Jan.

● Forests in ravines; ca. 1600 m. Yunnan (Lincang).