毛果茜草 mao guo qian cao

Vines, apparently climbing; stems quadrangular, hirsute at least at nodes, retrorsely aculeolate along ribs. Leaves in whorls of 4(-6); petiole slightly shorter than blade, retrorsely aculeate; blade drying thinly papery, grayish green, ovate to cordate, 4-12 × 2.5-7 cm, adaxially glabrous and scaberulous, abaxially sparsely strigillose, hirsutulous, or villosulous, base deeply cordate, margins densely ciliate, apex acuminate; principal veins 3-5, palmate. Inflorescences thyrsoid, paniculate, axillary and perhaps also terminal cymes many flowered and longer than subtending leaves; axes slender, villosulous and retrorsely aculeolate; bracteoles lanceolate, 1.5-2 mm. Flowers not seen. Immature mericarp berry black and shiny when dry, densely ferruginous villous.

● Sichuan (Lixian).

Rubia trichocarpa evidently belongs to R. ser. Cordifoliae, but no authentic material was available to us. A specimen from Xizang, collected 17 Jul 1973 (PE), fits the above description, with its short hispidulous indumentum extending from stems and leaves to the inflorescence, flowers, and young fruit. It has cymes rather condensed; flowers sessile or on pedicels up to 1.2 mm; and corollas dried purple, ca. 2 mm in diam., campanulate with reflexed petals of ca. 0.8 mm.