四川毛蕊茶 si chuan mao rui cha

Shrubs 1-3 m tall. Young branches grayish brown; current year branchlets slender, densely white pubescent, glabrescent. Petiole 2-4 mm, densely pubescent; leaf blade elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 4-8 × (1.5-)2-3 cm, leathery, abaxially pale green and villous along midvein, adaxially dark green, shiny, and hirtellous along midvein, midvein abaxially elevated and adaxially slightly impressed, secondary veins ca. 6 on each side of midvein, abaxially obscure, and adaxially slightly impressed, base cuneate to broadly cuneate, margin shallowly and bluntly serrulate, apex bluntly acuminate to caudate. Flowers axillary, solitary. Pedicel 1-2 mm; bracteoles ca. 4, semiorbicular, 0.5-1 mm, outside apically pubescent, margin densely ciliolate. Calyx cupular, 3-3.5 mm; lobes 5, suborbicular, 2-3 mm, outside glabrous or sparsely pubescent near apex, margin ciliolate. Petals 5, white, obovate to broadly obovate, 1-1.6 × 0.8-1.2 cm, basally connate for 2-3 mm, apex rounded to emarginate. Stamens ca. 1.3 cm, glabrous; outer filament whorl basally connate for 5-6 mm into a cup. Ovary ovoid, white tomentose; style ca. 1.3 cm, glabrous, apically 3-parted for 4-5 mm. Fruit and seeds not seen. Fl. Feb-Mar.

● Forest margins, thickets; ca. 1000 m. W Guizhou, W Hubei, E and W Sichuan.