广西冷水花 guang xi leng shui hua

Herbs annual, weak, glabrous, monoecious. Stems erect, simple or branched at base, 3-8 cm tall, succulent. Stipules soon deciduous, triangular, ca. 1 mm, membranous; petiole subequal in length, 3-10 mm; leaf blade abaxially pale green, adaxially lustrous green, cordate, subequal in size, 6-15 × 5-14 mm, subpapery, 3-veined, lateral veins 4-5 each side, depressed adaxially, slightly elevated abaxially, often terminating with a gland, finely honeycombed, cystoliths fusiform, often conspicuous adaxially, base cordate, margin 4-6 crenate each side, apex acute or rounded, proximal leaves smaller, often entire. Inflorescence a capitulum or moniliform spike, 0.5-1.2 cm. Male flowers subsessile, in bud obovoid, ca. 1.2 mm; perianth lobes 4, connate 1/2 of length, subapically corniculate; stamens 4; rudimentary ovary conspicuous. Female perianth lobes unequal, longest one subapically corniculate. Achene brownish, broadly ovoid, ca. 0.6 mm, compressed, oblique, with a colored ring, enclosed by persistent perianth. Fl. and fr. May.

* Shaded moist places, steep rocks; ca. 300 m. N Guangxi.

This is a very rare and local species.