巴东木莲 ba dong mu lian

Trees, to 25 m tall, to 1.4 m d.b.h. Bark pale grayish brown and reddish. Twigs grayish brown. Stipular scar 1/7-1/5 as long as petiole. Petiole 2.5-3 cm; leaf blade obovate-elliptic, 14-18(-20) × 3.5-7 cm, thinly leathery, both surfaces glabrous, abaxially pale green, adaxially green and glossy, midvein abaxially prominent, secondary veins 13-15 on each side of midvein, base cuneate, apex caudate-acuminate. Flowers 8.5-11 cm in diam., fragrant. Peduncle ca. 1.5 cm; bract scar 1, 5-10 mm basal to tepals. Tepals 9, white; outer 3 tepals narrowly oblong, 4.5-6 × 1.5-2.5 cm, nearly leathery, apex obtuse; middle and inner tepals obovate, 4.5-5.5 × 2-3.5 cm, fleshy. Stamens 6-8 mm; anthers purplish red, 5-6 mm; connective exserted and forming a ca. 1 mm mucro; thecae adnate at base, sometimes apex slightly free. Gynoecium conic, ca. 2 cm; carpels not abaxially furrowed; ovules 4-8 per carpel. Fruit pale purplish red, terete-ellipsoid, 5-9 × 2.5-3 cm; mature carpels dotted on exposed side. Fl. May-Jun, fr. Jul-Oct.

● Forests; 600-1000 m. Chongqing, W Hubei, NW Hunan, E Sichuan.

This species is used medicinally.