香青藤 xiang qing teng

Lianas, aromatic throughout. Stem gray-brown, to 10 cm in diam.; bark 4-8 mm thick, longitudinally fissured. Branchlets gray, glabrous, striate. Leaves 3-foliolate; petiole 7-11 cm, glabrous; leaflets: petiolules 0.7-2 cm, puberulous; blade abaxially greenish, adaxially green, suborbicular, 5-11.5 × 4-9.5 cm, subleathery, abaxially barbate at vein axils but otherwise glabrous, adaxially glabrous, lateral veins 3- or 4-paired, base rounded, apex acute; lateral leaflets smaller, base unequal. Cymose panicles axillary or terminal, shorter than leaves, 5-10 cm; peduncles and pedicels pubescent; bracts oblong, ca. 2 × 1 mm, pubescent. Flowers rose. Outer tepals ovate-lanceolate, ca. 10 × 3 mm, adaxially densely glandular pubescent. Inner tepals similar to outer ones, ca. 8 × 2.5 mm, adaxially densely pubescent. Stamens ca. 8 mm; filaments curved around anthers in bud, densely glandular pubescent; appendages navicular, ca. 2.5 mm. Ovary ca. 2 mm, densely pubescent; style ca. 6 mm, densely glandular pubescent. Fruit unknown. Fl. Oct-Nov.

● Sparse forests or forest margins on limestone hills; 500-700 m. SW Guangxi.

The stems are used medicinally for treating rheumatic arthralgia, coughs, indigestion, and injuries from falls. It is said that simple crystals (C₁₈H₁₇NO₄) distilled from the stem solution reduce fever, relax muscles, alleviate pain, and serve as a local anesthetic.