顶喙凤仙花 ding hui feng xian hua

Plants annual, 50-100 cm tall or more, glabrous, with few supporting roots. Stem erect, robust, ca. 1 cm wide, lower part long naked, upper part branched. Leaves alternate. Lower leaves petiolate; petiole 2-4 cm, fibrous; leaf blade pale green abaxially, dark green adaxially, ovate or ovate-oblong, 3-10 × 2-4 cm, membranous, lateral veins 5-7 pairs, base rounded or subcordate, margin coarsely crenate, teeth retuse, apex obtuse or shortly acute. Upper leaves sessile or shortly petiolate; leaf blade narrowly oblong, base cordate. Inflorescences in upper leaf axils, 1- or 2(or 3)-flowered; peduncles 1-3 cm. Pedicels 8-10 mm, slender, bracteate at middle; bracts persistent, lanceolate, 3-4 mm. Flowers pale purple-blue, large, 3.5-4 cm. Lateral sepals 2, orbicular or ovate-orbicular, ca. 8 × 6-7 mm, inequilateral, reticulate, apex cuspidate. Lower sepal deeply saccate, 2.5-3.5 cm deep, abruptly narrowed into an incurved spur; spur purple-red spotted, ca. 1 cm; mouth vertical, ca. 1.5 cm wide, tip acute. Upper petal oblate or reniform, 2.5-3 × 1.1-1.2 cm, apex long rostellate, abaxial midvein fine; lateral united petals not clawed, elongate, 2.5-3 cm, 2-lobed; basal lobes orbicular, ca. 6 mm in diam.; distal lobes lanceolate-dolabriform, slightly incised at apex, curved setose; auricle inflexed. Filaments linear, ca. 3 mm; anthers ovoid, apex acute. Ovary erect, fusiform. Capsule linear, 3-4 cm. Seeds many, oblong, 3-4 mm. Fl. Aug-Sep.

● Forest understories, grasslands on slopes, moist places by streams, along canals; 1500-2200 m. Chongqing (Chengkou, Wuxi), W Hubei (Shennongjia).