小花八角 xiao hua ba jiao

Illicium jinyunense Chu Ho; I. wangii Hu.

Shrubs or trees, to 10 m tall. Perules small, inconspicuous. Leaves in clusters of 3-5 at distal nodes; petiole 4-12 mm; leaf blade obovate-elliptic, narrowly oblong-elliptic, or lanceolate, 4-11 × 1.3-4 cm, thinly leathery to leathery, midvein adaxially impressed, secondary veins 5-10 on each side of midvein and on both surfaces inconspicuous or slightly prominent, base cuneate, apex usually caudate-acuminate to acuminate. Flowers axillary or subterminal. Flower peduncle 0.7-2.8 cm. Tepals (14-)17-21, red to orangish red, elliptic (largest), 5-8 × 3.5-8 mm (largest). Stamens (8-)10-12, 2.5-3.5 mm; filament lengths unknown; connectives truncate to emarginate; anthers 0.8-1.3 mm; pollen grains trisyncolpate. Carpels 7 or 8, 2.3-3.2 mm; ovary 1.3-1.7 mm; style 1-1.5 mm. Fruit peduncle 2.8-3.5 cm. Fruit with 6-8 follicles; follicles 9-14 × 3-7 × 2-3.5 mm. Seeds 4.5-5 × 3-3.5 × ca. 2 mm. Fl. Apr-Jun, fr. Jul-Sep.

● Thickets, mixed forests, ravines; 500-2600 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Yunnan.