人参木 ren shen mu

Heptapleurum fargesii Franchet, J. Bot. (Morot) 10: 306. 1896; Acanthopanax fargesii (Franchet) C. B. Shang; A. sinensis G. Hoo; Eleutherococcus fargesii (Franchet) H. Ohashi.

Trees deciduous, to ca. 25 m tall. Trunk to 60 cm d.b.h.; branches, leaves, and inflorescences densely shortly ferruginous stellate tomentose when young, glabrescent. Petiole 13-50 cm; leaves palmately compound; petiolules to 1.5 cm; leaflets 5-7(-9), elliptic to oblong or lanceolate, 4.5-13 × 1.6-6 cm, papery or subleathery, both surfaces glabrous, except shortly pubescent below axils of secondary veins (secretory structures), base broadly cuneate, margin minutely serrulate, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescence terminal, a corymbose panicle, 20-30 cm wide, main axis to ca. 4 cm (sometimes very short), secondary axes 10-20 cm; bracts caducous; peduncles 1-2 cm; umbels 8-20-flowered, 7-10 mm in diam.; pedicels 3-6 mm. Calyx rim 5-toothed. Ovary 2-loculed; styles united into a column. Fruit 4-6 mm in diam.; persistent styles 1.5-2 mm. Fl. Sep, fr. Nov-Dec.

● Mixed forests on mountain slopes; 1000-2000 m. Chongqing (Wanxian), SW Hunan (Xinning).

This species is used for timber.