微刺卫矛 wei ci wei mao

Dwarf shrubs, 20-30 cm tall; young branches and twigs sturdy, 4-angled, green-brown. Leaf blade sessile, leathery, ovate, 3-5 × 1-1.5 cm, base truncate, margin crenulate, apex acute or acuminate; lateral veins 5 or 6 pairs, netting before reaching margin. Flowers 4-merous (not seen). Capsule typically 1, occasionally 2 or 3 in cluster, axillary, red when fresh, yellow-brown when dry, nearly globose, 6-8 mm in diam., 4-grooved, with very small and slender, needle or threadlike prickles. Seeds ovoid, black; aril bright red. Fl. unknown, fr. Nov.

● Mountain slopes. Yunnan.

This species is very unusual because it is the only dwarf (less than 30 cm tall) in the genus.