汝兰 ru lan

Deciduous vines slightly fleshy, glabrous. Branches thick, longitudinally striate, often hollow. Petiole to 30 cm, twining when dry, apex swollen; leaf blade conspicuously peltate, triangular to triangular-rotund, 10-15 cm or longer, membranous when dry or ± papery, base subtruncate to slightly rounded, rarely slightly emarginate, margin sinuate to entire, palmately 9- or 10-veined, slightly wide and flat, slightly raised abaxially, reticulation conspicuous abaxially. Inflorescences compound umbelliform cymes, axillary; peduncle and umbellet pedicels fleshy, without bract and bracteole. Male flowers: sepals 6, slightly fleshy, transparent when dry, subobovate-oblong, 1-1.3 mm, inner whorl slightly wider; petals 3, sometimes 4, shortly and broadly obovate, ca. 0.8 mm inside, with 2 large glands; synandrium 0.7-0.8 mm. Female inflorescences also composed of compound umbelliform cymes with umbellet pedicels shorter and thicker. Female flowers: sepal 1; petals 2, glands inside sometimes not conspicuous. Infructescences with peduncles 5 cm or longer; umbellet pedicels 1-1.5 cm; fruiting pedicel fleshy, black when dry. Drupes with endocarp 6-7 mm. Fl. Jun, fr. Aug-Sep.

● Margins of forest clearings. N Guizhou, SW and W Hubei, Hunan, C, E, and S Sichuan, NE Yunnan.