牛筋条 niu jin tiao

Shrubs to small trees, 2–7 m tall. Branchlets grayish brown to grayish black when old, initially densely yellowish white tomentose, glabrescent, glabrous when old; buds ovoid, small, initially tomentose, gradually glabrescent, apex obtuse or ± acute. Petiole 4–6 mm, thick, densely yellowish white tomentose; stipules caducous, filiform; leaf blade elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, sometimes obovate or oblanceolate, 3–6 × 1.5–2.5 cm, lateral veins 7–12 pairs, abaxially initially densely yellowish white tomentose, later thinly so or glabrescent, adaxially glabrous or with few hairs only along midvein, base cuneate to rounded, margin entire, rarely sparsely serrate above middle, apex acute or obtuse, usually abruptly pointed. Inflorescences 2–5 × 3–6 mm; rachis and pedicels yellowish white tomentose; bracts caducous, lanceolate, membranous. Pedicel 1–3 mm. Flowers 5–9 mm in diam. Hypanthium 2–3 mm, both sides densely tomentose. Sepals green, triangular, shorter than hypanthium, margin toothed, apex obtuse. Petals white, suborbicular or broadly ovate, 3–4 mm, base shortly clawed, apex obtuse or emarginate. Stamens (15–)20, shorter than petals; filaments glabrous, smooth. Ovary pubescent abaxially; style subterminal to lateral at anthesis, becoming subterminal at fruiting, not exceeding stamens, glabrous; stigma discoid-capitate, lobulate. Fruit red, long terete, 5–7 mm, hard, glabrous except apex slightly short pubescent, exserted from fleshy hypanthium, base of style forms a small apicula. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Aug–Nov.

Mixed forests, evergreen forest margins, slopes; 1300--2500 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.

Lower Taxa

• Dichotomanthes tristaniicarpa var. glabrata Rehder
• Dichotomanthes tristaniicarpa var. tristaniicarpa