红花五味子 hong hua wu wei zi

Plants glabrous throughout. Young branches lacking wings; leaf-bearing branches elongated. Petiole 1-3 cm; leaf blade obovate-elliptic to elliptic, 5.5-11.5(-15) × 2.5-5.5(-7.5) cm, papery, not glaucous, secondary veins (4 or)5-7(or 8) on each side of midvein, base cuneate, attenuate, or rarely broadly cuneate, margin denticulate to serrulate, apex shortly acuminate to acuminate. Flowers axillary to fugacious bracts at base of young shoots, solitary; peduncle 1-5 cm (staminate), 1.8-3.2 cm (pistillate). Tepals 6-9, deep purplish red to deep red, largest 0.7-1.6 × 0.7-1.3 cm. Staminate flowers: stamens 34-66, ± distinct; pollen 3-colpate. Pistillate flowers: carpels 50-70; pseudostyle broad. Fruit peduncle 4-8 cm; torus 6-15 cm; apocarps dark purpish red to dark red, 4-11 × 3-9 mm. Seed testa smooth. Fl. May-Jul, fr. Jul-Oct.

Forests; (1500-)2500-3000(-3600) m. W Sichuan, N Yunnan [NE India, N Myanmar].

This species is a horticultural plant and is used medicinally.