鸡屎树 ji shi shu

Triosteum hirsutum Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. 2: 180. 1824.

Shrubs, 1-2 m tall; branchlets stiffly spreading rusty hirsute to glabrescent. Petiole 10-15 mm, hirsute; leaf blade subleathery or leathery, oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, 13-25 × 5-7.5 cm, glabrous adaxially, densely hirtellous or hirsute to strigose abaxially, base acute to obtuse, apex shortly acuminate; lateral veins 7-10 pairs; nervules subparallel, elevated abaxially; stipules lanceolate to deltoid, 8-10 mm, hirsute, generally persistent at least on apical nodes. Inflorescences glomerulate, sessile, hirsute; bracts leaflike, numerous, persistent, outer ones ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 cm, with distinct nerves, inner ones linear, much smaller. Flowers sessile. Calyx densely hirsute; hypanthium portion obconical, ca. 1 mm; limb 5-lobed; lobes linear-lanceolate, ca. 2.5 mm. Corolla 11-15 mm; tube 8-12 mm, outside glabrous in lower half and hirsute in upper half, glabrous inside; lobes 5, ovate, ca. 3 mm. Fruit ovoid-globose, 4-5 mm in diam., hirsute to glabrescent, with ca. 5 rounded ridges; pyrenes 5. Fr. Nov.

Forests, shaded and wet places; 100-1500 m. Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan [Bangladesh, India (including Andaman and Nicobar Islands), Indonesia, Japan (Ryukyu Islands), Malaysia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam].

Lasianthus hirsutus is a widely distributed species. It was mistakenly called "L. cyanocarpus" by most authors until Merrill (loc. cit.) showed the correct application of the name. Lasianthus cyanocarpus has relatively smaller leaves with cordate and slightly oblique bases and usually fewer and relatively smaller bracts; L. hirsutus differs from it in relatively larger leaves with cuneate, slightly unequal bases, relatively longer petioles, conspicuous triangular stipules, more numerous bracts with the outer ones ovate-oblong and leaflike and the inner ones gradually narrower and smaller, as well as usually long rusty hirsute hairs on most parts of the plants.