小果南蛇藤 xiao guo nan she teng

Evergreen twining shrubs; branchlets with russet short hairs. Petiole 1.5-2.5 cm; leaf blade elliptic, narrowly elliptic, rectangular-elliptic, or obovate, 7-14 × 3-8 cm, papery to thickly papery, abaxially sparsely hirsute on veins, adaxially glabrous, base cuneate or widely cuneate, rarely obtuse-cuneate, margin with thick obtuse teeth, apex shortly acuminate; secondary veins 5-7 pairs, obviously prominent on lower surface. Cymes mainly lateral; rachis 3-6 mm, with russet short hairs; pedicels 2-4 mm, brown hispidulous, jointed above middle. Sepals narrowly triangular, up to 2.5 mm, margin approximately entire; petals rectangular to rectangular-elliptic, ca. 2.5 mm, apex erose. Disk shallowly cupuliform, 5-lobed, lobes broadly orbicular. Staminodia in female flowers ca. 1.5 mm. Pistils ampullaceous; ovary globose; styles slender, 2-3 mm. Fruits tufted at base of branchlets. Capsule small, globose, 4-5 mm wide, valves approximately orbicular, inner side brown maculate. Seeds crescentiform, ca. 2.5 × 1.5 mm, purplish or blackish brown; aril yellowish brown. Fl. Apr-May, fr. Aug-Oct.

● Sparse forests, thickets; 1400-2300 m. Sichuan, N Yunnan.