浅色茜草 qian se qian cao

Herbs, climbing to scandent; stems to 2 m, quadrangular, glabrous or sometimes pilose, retrorsely aculeolate. Leaves in whorls of 4(or 6); petiole 0.5-6 cm; blade drying papery, lanceolate or subovate, 0.6-3.5 × 0.3-1.5 cm, length/breadth index ca. 2, subglabrous or adaxially sparsely hirtellous, abaxially scaberulous, base rounded to cordulate, margin densely serrate-aculeolate, apex acuminate; principal veins 3 or 5, palmate. Inflorescences thyrsoid, paniculate, with terminal or axillary, few- to several-flowered cymes; axes retrorsely aculeolate; bracts lanceolate, 1-2 mm, subglabrous or hirtellous; pedicels 1-4 mm. Ovary ca. 0.7 mm, smooth. Corolla white or pale yellow, rotate, glabrous or papillose, fused basal part ca. 0.5 mm; lobes spreading, ovate-triangular or lanceolate-triangular, 2-2.5 mm, acuminate. Mericarp berry black, ca. 4 mm in diam. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Sep-Oct.

● Thickets, roadsides; 2600-3100 m. NW Yunnan.

Rubia pallida belongs to R. ser. Cordifoliae. It is obviously close to R. cordifolia but deviates by its larger flowers. See further comments under that species.